


Don't Tell Me You Love Me

by Vegetatarian



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Aliens, Alpha Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Awesome Bulma Briefs, F/M, Saiyan Prince, Saiyans, Space Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-01-23 21:20:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21326848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vegetatarian/pseuds/Vegetatarian
Summary: Bulma once again is a weapons tech/mechanic type working for the saiyan army and supervised by Vegeta. Will these two strong personalities clash and wreak havoc or will they blend and create something beautiful?You know the drill. I'm in love with this OTP! <3 Hope you love it!!
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Vegeta
Comments: 44
Kudos: 93





	1. I'll give you a reason to tremble

The Saiyan man stood over the body of his enemy, taking in the sweet feeling of victory. He smirked knowing his winning streak was flawless, and that he would soon be promoted. His ego and pride were unmatched by any of his kind and he was feared by all that had ever heard his name. No man or woman alive could best his abilities or talk down to him. He was in a class of his own, despite being a Saiyan Elite. Failure was not something he was acquainted with, but had he ever gotten to know the feeling of failure, it would only enrage him and motivate him to push harder and become better. Though in his opinion he was perfect, he knew others were always waiting for him to fail. He knew they feared him, though, so he never concerned himself with whether they’d try to challenge him. When he finished bathing in the glory of everything that he thought he was, he dusted himself off and walked past his squad, ordering them to clean up the mess while he headed back to the ship. He shook his head, feeling as though he was the only one with any real worth on his battle squad.

The man stood 5’3”, half of his height seemingly made up by his long Saiyan hair that stood atop his head in a flame. He had a deep widow’s peak hairline that only seemed to add to the intensity of his glare. The thick brows that framed equally as intense charcoal eyes were in a permanent furrow and though some thought he always looked angry, those who knew him, knew when he was really angry. He wore a royal blue shirt and royal blue pants with white armor on his chest and pristine white gloves and boots to match. His tail wrapped around his waist as all Saiyan warriors did to protect it from being harmed in battle. He liked the crispness of his uniform as he felt that it gave him an authoritative appearance to match his pure unadulterated badass presence. He knew he was conceited, but he didn’t see why he shouldn’t be. He was a prince. The prince, of all Saiyans. He had a dark past, and though after Frieza’s massacre of his race they had managed to repopulate and build their numbers back up, he still longed for his home planet and felt lonely. Never would those sentiments spill from his lips though, the last thing he needed was a bunch of men he constantly berated thinking he was weak. He sat on the ship with his arms crossed in their usual position. He always looked like he had an attitude problem, and it was something the other Saiyans would mumble amongst themselves about. The self-absorbed Saiyan remained quiet for the duration of the trip back to the dormitories where each of the warriors lived. His mouth never uttered a word as he navigated his way through the crowded dormitory halls, the others moved out of his way because they knew if he had to tell them to move, he’d likely reduce them to ash. He sighed when he finally made it to his dorm room. Another successful day of purging and fighting. He carefully removed his armor and put it on its stand and trudged over to his bed. He’d never admit it to anyone, but he really was exhausted and needed to rest and he wished he had. He flopped down onto his bed and sighed deeply, closing his eyes. Just as he was about to drift off, he heard his name being called by the most annoying being he’d ever met.

“VEGETA!”

“Goddamnit, Nappa.” Vegeta stood up from his bed and stomped over to the door and opened it. “This had better be good. I will kill you without a second thought if you woke me up for nothing.”

Nappa smiled nervously. “Heh, Vegeta don’t worry! This is important. There’s a new weapons technician here. Boy, is she pretty or what? She’s kinda mean though, and she has an attitude. Anyway, I came to tell you not to bother with her because if you do, her attitude might make you angry, and we can’t afford to replace another weapons technician. Especially not this one with all of her qualifications; she’s different. She’s not even from here, Vegeta!”

Vegeta blinked several times. “Nappa, first of all, none of us are from this disgusting dirtball of a planet. Second, I am too exhausted to decide whether or not to kill you, so I’m going to allow you to live. As for the weapons technician, I have no interest in her or dealing with her as long as she keeps our shit in tip top shape. We won’t have an issue as long as she does her damn job. I have no intention of meeting her. I don’t care how ‘different’ you and the other peons around here think she is.” Vegeta slammed the door shut and exhaustedly walked over to his bed again. Why would he care about some woman? Saiyan women were all the same; needy, bossy, and jealous as hell. He had enough issues with the stupid new recruits in the women’s sector and their superiors gawking at him and fighting over which one of them could have him or his men. He laid in bed, now wide awake but mentally and physically exhausted. He looked out the window and saw it. The beautiful blue planet that was close by to the one they were stationed at. He didn’t know much about it, other than Bardock’s son was sent there and had evidently made it his home. Foolish Kakarot. He didn’t understand why he had chosen to live away from the life of a warrior, but he somewhat understood why he’d chosen such a beautiful planet to inhabit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Excuse me, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Who said you could just waltz in here and start touching things! Keep yourself and your giant dunderhead friends OUT of my lab!” The weapons technician was very touchy about who came into her lab without permission. She was undoubtedly feisty and ballsy being able to talk to a Saiyan that way without fear of being knocked on her ass, or worse, bitch-slapped through a wall. She flipped her hair and looked fiercely at the tall Saiyan man standing in front of her, who had an expression of bewilderment on his face.  
“My, my, you have quite the attitude. You’ll get along with everyone just fine. Well, as long as you stay away from Vegeta."

“I’m not interested in making friends here, and you buffoons better believe Goku will neutralize all of you if you try anything!” The woman crossed her arms. “Now. Get. Out.” She walked back to her work bench and started working on the new scouters that had been requested by the intrusive Saiyan named Raditz.

Raditz walked away in a huff. That know-it-all woman would have to just see for herself about the sensitive tempers of some of his peers, especially Vegeta.

The woman was not a Saiyan, but an Earth woman. She wasn’t intimidated by non-earthlings, though. She was surrounded by odd characters all the time, so these big “scary” Saiyans were nothing new. Especially considering her best friend was a Saiyan. She flipped her hair again and walked out of her lab to get more parts for the scouter she was designing, when she ran into a tall Saiyan with no hair.

“Oh, sorry buddy, didn’t mean to bump into you!” the woman smiled.

Nappa shook his head. “No worries, ma’am, you’re pretty tiny so I didn’t see you. My apologies!” Nappa offered an apologetic look.

The woman smiled and patted his arm. “No harm done. Would you mind pointing me to the person who requested this scouter?” She held up the prototype. “I need to ask a question about the design specifics; I was never told what the preferred style for it would be.”

Nappa became uncomfortable. “Truthfully, it’s probably best you just wait on that, the man who requested it is asleep right now and he has a bit of a bad temper. Why don’t I ask him for you?”

She shrugged. “Up to you. Though, it’s not like I can’t handle some grumpy sleepy man. I dealt with my now ex boyfriend and good friend Yamcha, for years without a problem dealing with his attitude. Thanks, uh..”

“Nappa. And no problem!” Nappa smiled and walked away.

She smiled. “Thank you, Nappa. Take care.” She walked back to the lab, set the prototype on her work bench, and gathered her things to take the shuttle home. “Time to head home!”  
The next day at work, as she was walking to her lab, she got a call on her work phone. “Hi, this is the weapons tech, Bulma, speaking, how can I help y-"

“Where is my scouter, woman?” a man grumbled to her in a very unpleasant tone of voice.

“Okay, first thing’s first. You will NOT talk to me that way, and the name is Bulma, you pig!” Bulma stomped her foot as she said her name.

Vegeta opened his eyes in surprise that a woman dare to speak to him that way. He was caught off guard by her, but he expected nothing less from a Saiyan woman. They were all annoying and bitchy. “I don’t give a damn about your name, where is my scouter?”

Bulma stuttered in disbelief that this jackass thought he could speak to her this way, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. “Y-You! I have your damn scouter! You’ll get it when I’m done, asshole!” She then hung up abruptly before the angry man could have a chance to disrespect her any further. Bulma’s face burned red with frustration. She’d only worked there for a day, and on her second day her boss acted like a complete dick. She couldn’t believe how much she already hated him.

About a week later, Bulma had the scouter sent to the man who had requested it and was surprised when her phone rang shortly after she got the notification that it had been delivered. “Hello?”

“Is this the head weapons tech?” Asked a gruff voice that Bulma recognized.

“Yes, it is. Is this the jackass that couldn’t be patient and polite on the phone the last time he called?”

Vegeta’s cheeks flushed in anger. What a complete bitch, what insolence, what ignorance. If only she knew who she was really speaking with. She’d shut her mouth. “Yeah, that was me. I called to tell you that it works and to request for more to be made, this work is the best I’ve seen yet. I’ll be dropping by your sector to give the work order so you can get started on the rest of my scouters. I’ll need them finished by the end of the week.”

“Well, how many do you need?” Bulma was surprised this maniac had paid her a compliment, but she didn’t want him to get too big headed, so she just ignored it.

“I’ll need 5,032 scouters.”

“BY THE END OF THE WEEK? ARE YOU CRAZY?” Bulma gasped.

“No, are you too incompetent to make that happen?” Vegeta grinned as he insulted the stupid woman. He knew damn well it would be a difficult order to fill, but he wanted to make this bitchy weapons tech feel the heat for disrespecting him the way she had. He was fucking Vegeta and she would learn her place. 

Bulma clenched her fist around the phone. “I’ll show you! No one calls Bulma fucking Briefs incompetent.” She hung up and slammed the phone down again. She hated this son of a bitch, but she was about to put him in his place. She cracked her knuckles and got to work immediately.

When the end of the week rolled around, Vegeta walked purposefully to the weapons tech sector. He was expecting to see an exhausted, overworked and mentally drained Saiyan woman, but instead he saw what appeared to be an Earth woman standing in the doorway of her lab with her arms crossed and fire in her ocean blue eyes.

Bulma spoke sternly. “I made 5,032 scouters as you asked, they have extra features for tracking, they play music to hype your sorry ass up, they tell you the temperature, they measure lifeforms in a 400 mile radius, and they can send a distress signal to alert your fellow warriors even after they’ve been broken. I went above and beyond what you asked, and I did a damn good job of it. Enjoy your scouters, asshole.”

Vegeta stood silently in front of the woman. He was still trying to process what he was looking at. He was expecting a female Saiyan warrior but she wasn’t a Saiyan at all; that must have been what Nappa meant when he said she wasn’t from here. She had shiny blue hair that was cut in a bob perfectly fitting her face and big bright blue eyes to match. Her cheeks and lips were both supple, and full, giving her a healthy rounded look to her face. She was a bit taller than he was and had fantastic legs. Her body was curvy in all the right places and he noticed her breasts generously filling in her crop top t-shirt. She put her hands on her wonderfully curved hips and waited for him to say something. Vegeta couldn’t deny her beauty, but kami was she annoying. He shook his head, and cleared his throat. “What do you want, a medal? Around here, you’re to follow direct orders, not show off. But I suppose I’ll let you off this time without reprimanding you. Next time, earth bitch, just do as you’re asked.” Vegeta couldn’t possibly let this woman know she’d impressed him and that he had been caught off guard. That would mean in some way, she had won – and he didn’t even know what the competition was really about.

“Earth bitch? Do you want me to slap you??” Bulma shrieked, outraged at the nerve of this tiny man standing in front of her. “You’re the most miserable jack-off I have ever had the displeasure of sharing oxygen with!”

Vegeta had to hide the smirk that tried to plaster itself on his face. He was confused, though, what was he feeling? He had never been spoken to this way, and for some reason, he didn’t want to murder her; rather, he wanted to continue to argue with her. He was also still a bit caught off guard by her beauty. Of course, he’d never actually say that out loud – women were a waste of his time. He was a warrior and unless this woman was a fellow warrior who would be fighting with him, he had no reason to have any further contact with her unless to request weaponry or other equipment for his squad. “Don’t waste your time; you’ll only end up hurting yourself. I can’t have you getting injured – it would be a pain in the ass to find another weapons tech.” Vegeta avoided eye contact with her, because when she looked him in the eyes, it made him feel strange. He adjusted his pristine white gloves and walked over to the crate of scouters. “I will let you know if I have any other weapon requests.” With that, the Saiyan Prince walked away. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t let her know who he was; how important he was. For some reason, he had forgotten all about it. Those curves and eyes and lips of hers… They had bewitched him. He had never been so distracted by a woman before, but he told himself that physical appearances were only good for procreation and he had no desire to do any such thing. He went about his day, trying not to think about the blue-eyed woman whose words had made his heart race.

Bulma’s cheeks flushed pink as she was finally alone in her lab. How could such a bitter man be so attractive? She tried to calm herself, but something about him made her blood hot. He pissed her off to no end, but his perfectly chiseled features were something to behold and had taken her aback. After hearing him on the phone she pictured a big ugly monster, and instead was greeted by a marble statue with a napoleon complex. He was quite the looker and his attitude was strangely alluring and for some reason, she couldn’t quite get him out of her head. She shook her head. “Get it together, Bulma. You’re with Yamcha… sort of, and that guy is a total jerk!” She bit her bottom lip, unable to get that Saiyan man off her mind. She really wanted to talk to him again and she couldn’t help but keep thinking about him. She realized she didn’t even know his name.

As she walked to her shuttle to get home, she overheard some saiyan women talking about some man named Vegeta.

“He’s so handsome. Don’t you think, Kale?” A tall saiyan woman with thick black hair and piercing but beautiful brown eyes and long muscular legs asked a skinny saiyan woman with a small black ponytail atop her head and a sheepish expression on her face.

“I-I suppose he’s cool…” Kale said in a shy voice.

“His kill record is legendary. I wish he’d train me.” A short, curvier saiyan woman said. Her hair was spiky and thick, unlike the other two womens’. “You shouldn’t talk about Cabba’s teacher like that, Polli.” She looked at the tall saiyan woman in disgust.

“I can’t help it. He’s strong, he’s smart, he’s dreamy.” Polli’s eyes sparkled. “All of the other women in my squad think so as well. You’re just jealous, Caulifla. You know Cabba gets to spend more time with him than any of us and you wish Vegeta would give you that much attention.”

Caulifla frowned, doing her best to hide the pink spreading across her cheeks. “Not everyone is a hormonal bimbo like you, Polli. Shut up.”

Bulma shook her head and kept walking. She didn’t know who Vegeta was, but he sure had a lot of fangirls.

Bulma woke the next morning to a lonely bed. She had been having major issues with her boyfriend, Yamcha. She dialed his number and waited as it rung several times. Finally, a very groggy sounding Yamcha answered the phone. “Hey babe, what’s up?” He asked.

“Hi Yami, I’m sorry to wake you, but I just wanted to tell you I love you and I hope you have a great day at work.” She cooed.

“Thanks Bulma, but honestly maybe don’t call me to say that – just text it. It’s real early.” Yamcha sounded irritated, but he never really argued with her. He was kind of a push over and this irritation he was expressing over the phone in his sleepy voice was the most Bulma could get out of him when it came to attitude. It was honesty disappointing to Bulma, but she figured it was better than dealing with some asshole like that guy at work… or was it?

“Sorry Yami. Have a great day, bye.” Bulma hung up and planted her face into her pillow. “Uggghhhh.”

She arrived at work in high waist jeans and a teal bandage crop top. She wore heels because they made her backside look extra perky, and it couldn’t hurt to have the men at work drooling over her – especially if that meant they dropped some of their stupid attitudes toward her simply because she was an Earth woman. She threw on her lab coat and was about to pick up her latest project when she heard a knock at her door. She turned and saw him; the rude guy who demanded scouters. Her lab coat wasn’t buttoned, so her belly button was showing and her breasts were held snugly in her top, and some cleavage was peeking out.

He was leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed and his legs crossed at the ankles. He looked like a badass, as usual, and was unintentionally making Bulma blush with his intense stare. He didn’t make an effort not to stare at her chest and belly. “Ahem, um, I realized I had not introduced myself last time, and I was informed that I should do so, in the event that you need to contact me. You can’t very well request my presence without knowing my name, but I actually came here for something else.”

Bulma extended her hand. “Well, we got off on the wrong foot anyway. What did you come here for?”

He reached out and took Bulma’s hand, looking her dead in the eyes. He noticed she was blushing which he enjoyed. He smirked and leaned in. “Bulma, do I make you nervous?” His lips were inches from hers.

Bulma was trembling as the handsome Saiyan pressed his lips against hers and wrapped his hands around her waist and his tongue to her jawline. He softly growled into her ear. “Bulma, I’ll give you something to tremble about.” He chuckled softly and a soft moan escaped Bulma’s lips.

Bulma sat up abruptly in bed and sighed in disappointment when she realized she had fallen back asleep. “Damnit.”


	2. Get it together, Bulma!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I DON'T know what happened in my head, but PLEASE re read this chapter and then chapter 3
> 
> This was supposed to be chapter 2!! Sorry about that, everyone!

Bulma dragged herself out of bed and got ready for work, trying to erase her dream from her mind. For some reason though, just thinking about the dream made her cheeks warm and her heart pound a little harder. Bulma got ready for work as usual with her usual routine and her usual coffee. She was addicted to coffee and Yamcha often scolded her for it. Yamcha had been acting strange lately, and Bulma couldn’t quite put her finger on why he had been. Without any further thought of Yamcha, she finished getting ready and headed to work.

Bulma arrived at work and immediately saw the saiyan man she had dreamt of earlier that morning. “Oh, good morning.” She smiled at him, trying not to let her embarrassment show.

“Good morning,  _ Bulma _ .” The saiyan man responded without even looking at her. He had his eyes closed as he was leaning against the wall.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Bulma’s face turned red as she realized that’s what she had said in her dream before he had… “Anyway, I never got your name.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her, remembering he had forgotten to tell her who he was. “You’re right. I’m – “

“Hey sorry to interrupt, the general has ordered all officers to report to the Burgundy Room. It’s promotion day, finally.” Raditz interrupted them.

“It’ll have to wait.” The man said to Bulma as he turned on his heel and walked away.

“You can come, Bulma. You’ll need to know who you’re answering to anyway.” Raditz said, gesturing for her to follow the grumpy saiyan.

When she arrived in the “burgundy room”, she was surprised to see the ill-tempered saiyan standing in line with what she assumed to be the officers. She sat down in a chair that was pulled out for her.

“Thank you, gentlemen, for arriving in a timely manner. You’ll be receiving your answers on your promotion requests.” A tall saiyan spoke. He had a strong jaw line and harsh eyes that seemed to be able to look right through you. Bulma shuttered a bit.

Bulma looked over to the scouter guy, and caught him staring at her. She made a face and they both looked away from each other.  _ What the hell was he staring at? _ She thought to herself. She didn’t pay attention to most of the promotions until she heard a familiar name.

“Prince Vegeta, would you step forward, please?” The General asked.

Bulma’s heart started to pound when the grumpy man who had called her “earth bitch” stepped forward.

“Prince Vegeta, you’ve been promoted from Captain to Major. Congratulations.” The General gave him a crimson colored cape and stamped a symbol on his breastplate that Bulma couldn’t quite make out. Vegeta turned and looked at her, smirking, then put on his cape and saluted the general.

Bulma got up and quickly walked out of the room and ran to hide in her lab. Hopefully the Prince wouldn’t come in and bother her. She waited a while, and when she was sure he wouldn’t come to bother her, she started in on her work. A few hours had passed, and as she was about to pick up a screwdriver, she heard someone clear their throat and knock on the door. She turned to see Vegeta, not that she was really that surprised.

“Well, now you know who I am.” The handsome prince smirked at her.

“Yeah, so what do you want?” Bulma stood her ground. It was obvious he was full of himself.  _ Not that I wouldn’t mind being full of h- Bulma! Get your shit together! Oh my God.  _ Bulma’s face twisted with frustration as she argued with herself internally, making Vegeta raise an eyebrow in concern.

“I just came to give you my extension should you ever need to ask for specifics on weaponry I have you design for my squad.” Vegeta grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and handed it to Bulma after scribbling down some numbers. “Contact me sparingly; I don’t have time to waste.” With that, the Prince walked swiftly out of the lab, leaving Bulma standing alone with the slightest twinge of disappointment. Had she expected anything else? Not really, but for whatever reason, she did enjoy his presence – regardless of how cocky and irritating his personality was. She shrugged and got back to work. There was no point in thinking about him since she had a boyfriend, and although things were circumstantially functional at best, she decided it was better to have someone buying her flowers and telling her that her ass looked good in dresses than to only get noticed by men who barely knew her and would only dare to shoot her a lustful glance in passing. Bulma knew she depended far too heavily on the support of a man, but the truth of the matter was that she was a relationship kind of person. It made her feel whole when there was someone in her life that needed and wanted her and much as she needed and wanted them. That wasn’t to say Bulma necessarily thought she  _ needed _ Yamcha, but she did know that her life would feel empty without him in it. She could admit she had thought about other men more often than would probably be considered appropriate, but she had never acted on any of her thoughts. She had far too much respect for the man she currently called her boyfriend. That is, until that evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma had decided to invite her boyfriend out to dinner since she hadn’t seen him lately and she figured spending time together might help them work some things out, or at least realize which of their issues were actually important enough to address. He didn’t pick up the phone when she called him, so she assumed he was likely busy at practice with the baseball team he played for, and decided to leave a message letting him know when and where to meet her. She was glad to be back on Earth for the weekend; she lived on Planet Celestia, where the Saiyan Galactic HQ was, working as a weapons tech during the day, and dreaming of her home on Earth during the night. She sat shaking with anticipation; she had bought a new dress and new heels to match. She wanted to look like an absolute feast in the hopes of reigniting the passion that was once between she and her long-term boyfriend. She waited for half an hour but had not heard from Yamcha. She was about to get up and leave when she saw him walk through the door, and for a moment she was comforted. However, that feeling was short lived and her heart dropped when Yamcha walked in with some other baseball players and what Bulma would call “groupie trash” hanging onto their arms. They stumbled over to the bar area, obviously intoxicated. Bulma had forgotten they’d had a big game that evening, but she was furious that Yamcha had not tried to get a hold of her and let her know he’d be late. Bulma stood up and angrily marched over to the group of drunken baseball players. She tapped Yamcha on the shoulder just as he leaned in to kiss a cheap looking bottle blonde twenty-something year old girl with boobs too big to be real and a waist too small to match. Yamcha didn’t seem to notice the tap on his shoulder, and Bulma just got angrier and angrier. She was about to slap the shit out of him when she spotted a familiar face across the bar. Furrowed eyebrows and a strong jaw line with intense black eyes; a deep widow’s peak and a flame of thick black hair. It was the Prince, staring at her from across the bar. She froze for a moment, entrapped by his stare. Her breath caught in her throat and she forgot to blink while she looked back at him. Finally, she stepped away from Yamcha and his groupie, and walked over to where the Prince was, heart pounding, palms sweating, and knees slowly beginning to buckle beneath her with every step. When she finally made it over to where Vegeta was, she took a seat next to him at the bar and ordered whatever it was he was having. He said nothing, but continued to sip his drink.

“Hey, Major.” Bulma said, taking her drink from the bartender. 

Vegeta simply nodded in response. He was usually the silent type; the only reason Bulma had heard so much from him was that she had irritated him and for some reason, he felt the urge to argue with her.

“What, you don’t talk now? You wanna tell me at least why you’re on Earth rather than in your dorm back at HQ?” Bulma asked, sipping the drink.

Vegeta stayed quiet. He had nothing to say. He didn’t need to justify his whereabouts to some Earth woman and he  _ certainly _ had not invited her to join him, so why she was here being annoying was beyond him.

Bulma quickly grew tired of being ignored and decided anything would be better than sitting and talking to this brick wall of a man. She slapped the drink out of his hand, sending the glass clattering across the counter and spilling the remainder of his drink everywhere. Ice cubes scattered across the bar, sliding in every direction, leaving shimmery streaks of water that reflected the multicolored lights reminiscent of Bulma’s favorite childhood hang out spot behind as they skidded about. Other people at the bar looked at the two, glaring in Bulma’s direction for interrupting the atmosphere with her disruptive behavior. It seemed everyone but Yamcha and his obnoxious group of women and baseball players had noticed. Vegeta took a deep breath before looking at Bulma.

“I’m not the chit chat type. I am not your friend. I come to this planet because aside from the trash that inhabits it, I find it to be a peaceful place compared to the daily headaches that I face with my job. I came here to get away from the people I work with, and, stay with me now,  _ that includes you _ . I came to have a drink, go for a walk, and then return to HQ and sleep until 4 AM when I’d be required to wake up and do the same boring shit I always do. I’ve been a desk bitch for a week straight now, and my bosses won’t send me out into the field to do what I do best. I’m not in the mood for your attitude, your insolence, or  _ you _ in general. If you’re going to sit near me right now, do it quietly, because I’m not saying anything further.” Vegeta then got the attention of the bartender and ordered another drink, leaving Bulma sitting by him, mouth gaping, and temper rising.

Bulma picked up the glass she had set down on its napkin and threw her drink onto Vegeta. “You think you’re so above me, but I’ve got news for you, pal. You’re not the only person who isn’t getting exactly what they want right now. I came here to try and work things out with my boyfriend only to see him come to the restaurant I invited him to with another woman trying to taste his tonsils. I don’t need  _ your _ attitude either. I’m having a shitty night and I came to simply talk to you about how your day went because I don’t want to think about how my own went. But you’re just an asshole, and I can’t believe I have to work with such a sorry sack of shit like you. You have no concern for anyone but yourself and-“ Bulma stopped speaking suddenly when Vegeta abruptly stood up.

“You’re absolutely correct,  _ woman _ . I am an asshole. I’m the  _ prodigal asshole _ . I don’t have concern for anyone but myself because as a warrior, if you waste time worrying about anyone other than yourself and your squad, you’ll  _ die _ . Get ahold of yourself, and stop acting like _ you’re _ the only one who is allowed to deal with problems their own way.” Vegeta glared a hole through her.

Bulma gasped and tried to find words to snap back at him, but instead she grabbed her wallet, slammed money onto the bar, grabbed the shoulder strap of Vegeta’s armor and practically dragged him out the door of the restaurant to avoid any further embarrassment.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, woman?” Vegeta shouted. She finally stopped dragging him, tears in her big blue eyes. They clumsily stomped past Yamcha who only caught a blurry glimpse of the two in his drunken stupor.

“All I wanted was some company and someone to acknowledge my existence!” Bulma’s face, twisting in emotional agony, was making Vegeta feel a strange pressure in his chest, but he was also confused.

“Who the fuck isn’t noticing you? There’s no way anyone with eyes could possibly not acknowledge your existence. But why should your existence require someone to notice it for it to be valid?” Vegeta raised his hands in frustration, a rare display of emotion for Vegeta. “I don’t get you humans.  _ Especially _ you  _ female _ humans. You always feel like you need some attention for you to have value or whatever. It’s insane. Can’t you exist without having to be acknowledged and spoken to by someone else? I’m the Prince of All fucking Saiyans and that is a fact whether or not someone gives me the time of day. I am myself regardless of what any of the worthless worms I work with think. I don’t see why it’s any different for you.” He shook his head. “Get your shit together, woman. It’s not the end of the world just because some moron doesn’t see and appreciate your worth. I’ll see you at work. Good night.” He turned on his heel and flew off to his capsule, which hummed loudly as Vegeta placed his palm on the ignition scanner. With a loud pop, the capsule shot off into the sky leaving Bulma standing alone, rendered speechless. Space was Vegeta’s favorite place to be; it was quiet, didn’t reek of humans, and for the most part was only subjected to the occasional traffic of Saiyan vehicles. They had repopulated after Freiza’s massacre of their race and since then, they had been on top of every other species that tried dominating the cold, unforgiving vacuum of space. He passed through a small system of stars, the capsule humming more softly now that it soared swiftly until landing gently onto the garage floor of the Saiyan Galactic HQ. Vegeta stepped out of the capsule, making sure his feet slammed to the floor. He liked to make sure everyone knew he was present because he enjoyed watching people tripping over themselves to stay out of his way. He found pleasure in watching people nervously salute him, or sidestep so as to be out of his way of walking. He made his way to his quarters, and once inside, he sighed deeply. That Earth woman was exhausting, needy, annoying, and evidently not as intelligent as he had initially thought. For her to put any value into what some guy thought of her and let that define her? Vegeta had a word for that.  _ Weak _ . He was disappointed, for some reason. He had expected better of her, what with her bravery in standing up to him and all. Perhaps he had misjudged her – not that he cared one way or another, of course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma made her way back home. Her head was filled with Vegeta’s words. He was right, despite having been a bit rude about the way he had expressed the facts to her. She had to admit that he was right about being concerned with what other people thought of her, and depending on the attention of others to feel valid. She wondered when that had suddenly become her normal. Growing up, Bulma was always confident, self-assured, and had a fire in her soul that no man dared try to tame. These days, Bulma had become soft and would bend to the will of just about anyone who she took a romantic interest in – and that had only really ever been Yamcha. She furrowed her brows and stomped into her wing of Capsule Corp. “I’m Bulma  _ fucking _ Briefs. I don’t need his cheating ass! Get it  _ together _ , Bulma!” She smacked her cheeks and slammed her fists onto the counter of her kitchen island, causing the various glasses, key sets, and pens to clatter around slightly. She promised herself she’d get a good night’s sleep, and she’d march into work the next morning and not give a shit what anyone there thought of her. She put on her pajamas and flopped down in bed and closed her eyes, smiling about the day ahead of her; the rebirth of who Bulma was always meant to be.


	3. Hot for the Boss man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The title is pretty self explanatory. 
> 
> We continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just in case you won't check the comments, I'll put it here too:
> 
> I made a boo-boo and messed up the chapter order. Please go back and read chapter 2!

She woke up with fire in her eyes and soul. Today, she was going to be the Bulma she was before she became soft for Yamcha. She’d start by breaking up with him, and setting herself free from the inevitable future of becoming the wife of a professional baseball player who sat alone each night wondering what color hair the woman he cheated with that night had. She could picture herself sitting on the luxurious couch in their very expensive home, smoking a cigarette and tapping away the ashes as a drunken Yamcha stumbled through the door, covered in lipstick and stinking of some tramp’s cheap perfume and the meaningless sex they had in a dingy old hotel room; all the while Yamcha thinking he had Bulma fooled. She’d say nothing, continuing to take long pulls off her cigarette, her lace robe draped lazily over the curves of her nearly naked body. Her husband would trudge to their bedroom without even noticing her and pass out, only to wake the next morning and repeat that kind of day all over again. Each night she’d cry before he got home, wearing a newly purchased lingerie set in a knowingly hopeless effort to capture his attention once more. Then every once in a while, they’d have a blow-out of an argument; Bulma screaming that he used to fall over with one glance at her, but now that he could have his choice of women, he slept with the plastic bleach-blonde bunnies, and married the less attractive rich woman. He’d scream back that she was wrong, and then mistakenly make a comment about how she  _ had _ gained weight since they were dating, after all. She had never wanted that for herself. She dialed his number and as soon as he picked up the phone, she let him have it. “Yamcha, it’s over. I’m breaking up with you. Last night was a disgrace, and being that this is not the first time I have caught you with another woman, I know it won’t be the last. Take good care of yourself, Yami, because I won’t be around to do it anymore. You clean up your own messes. Your complacency and inability to even actually move forward in life has been tolerated by me since we were kids and I won’t do it anymore. You’re on your own. Bye.” Before Yamcha could even get a word out, she hung up the phone. She smiled. It was a new day, and those Saiyans had no idea what was coming.

She walked purposefully into work sporting a navy blue mechanics jumpsuit, converse, and her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. As soon as she walked through the industrial sliding doors of Saiyan Galactic HQ, all eyes were on her. She walked with a spring in her step and she had determination on her face. She marched straight up to Nappa, who was sleepily gripping a cup of coffee in both hands and leaning against a wall.

“Nappa, where can I find Vegeta?” She spoke with power in her voice.

Nappa blushed a bit. It wasn’t often earth women were so feisty, and it was only a natural response for a Saiyan man to be attracted to strong willed women. “He’s still in his quarters, down the hall over there.” He pointed past her. “I wouldn’t bother him if I were you; he gets very upset when he’s woken unnecessarily or otherwise.” Nappa sipped his coffee.

Bulma looked back to where Nappa had pointed, noticing each door had a name on it. She looked back at Nappa. “Thank you, big guy. I can handle myself from here.” She patted his arm and flipped her hair as she marched off to Vegeta’s room. Bulma took in a deep breath and opened the door without knocking. As Bulma walked, she had to really give herself a minute to adjust to how different Vegeta’s room was from what she had expected. It was remarkably underwhelming. A large room with plain white walls, a bed, a desk, a chair, and a place where he hung his armor as he slept. As she was taking in the room, she saw him sit up in bed and turn the light on.

“What the  _ fuck _ are you doing in my bedroom, you perverted woman?” Vegeta looked at her through squinted eyes.

Bulma tried so hard to think of a response, but she was so taken aback by him calling her a perverted woman that instead she just started yelling. “What do you mean pervert? I only came in here to wake your lazy ass up and tell you something! It’s not my fault if you’re naked!”

“I never said I was naked.” Vegeta answered calmly. “And quit yelling, you sound worse than a Saiyan woman on her period.”

Bulma frowned savagely. “I will push you into a well.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I’d fly back out and throw you in.” Vegeta answered.

Bulma stuttered with frustration. “LISTEN.  _ I decided I will feel good about myself with or without a man and from now on you will not give me any more lip! I swear I’ll smack you! _ ”

Vegeta remained still in bed, his face covered by the darkness of the room. Bulma had failed to flip on the lights, and this kept her from seeing the smirk on his face. Vegeta didn’t know why, but he was strangely drawn to her attitude and aggressive temper. Every saiyan woman had it, but he found it significantly more impressive coming from an Earth woman who’d definitely be unable to fend off a saiyan man’s temper. She was brave, knew who she was – he was glad to see she was the woman he had initially taken her for. “That’s wonderful. Now get the fuck out, I am exhausted and was recently informed it’s my day off.” Vegeta said, turning onto his side and tucking one hand under his pillow.

Bulma smiled to herself.  _ What an asshole _ . She thought to herself, still smiling, as she walked back to her lab.

The next several months were filled with little exchanges between the two, other than nods of acknowledgement to one another. Bulma was busy with her work, and Vegeta was “busy being pure unadulterated  _ badass _ ” as he put it. The flow of unimportant conversations and small gestures of acknowledgement came to an abrupt halt one October day. October 12 th , to be exact. Bulma was busy as usual, working her ass off to finish her prototype for the new space pods for the Saiyan army. They’d be better equipped for battle on the interstellar level and would face less casualties by waiting to fight face to face. She was hunched over her work bench when she heard a loud knock. She set her tiny welder down and turned around, lifting the welding mask off of her face.

It was him. That cocky son of a bitch that usually just ignored her, yet still had somehow brought the real Bulma back to the surface.

“Hello, Major.” She said cordially.

“Hello, Miss Briefs. You will come to my office in about an hour. I need to speak with you.” Without allowing Bulma to respond, he walked away.

An hour passed and Bulma stood at the door of Vegeta’s office. She took in a deep breath, and knocked.

“Come in.” She heard him say.

Bulma walked in and sat down. Vegeta stood up from his desk and closed the door, and then walked around to Bulma and leaned against his desk on her side of it. He looked her in the eyes. “Bulma, how long have you been working here, now?”

“Uh, I guess maybe… 7 months?” Bulma wondered what he was on about, but she figured it had to be pretty important for her to be sitting in his office.

“I see. Do you have a team that helps you out with your work?”

“Not really, but I don’t think I need –” Bulma was cut off when he raised his hand.

“You will have a team. I will gather some people to work for you, and you will interview them. You and your team will now be directly under my supervision due to the general and his oh-so bright ideas.” Vegeta seemed angry.

Bulma decided she’d ask, knowing full well she’d likely be ignored. “Vegeta, is something wrong?”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course something is wrong! I’m stuck on base doing desk work and babysitting you and a crew rather than being out in the field.” He was angry, and he couldn’t understand why Bulma would be so stupidly confused as to what was making him angry.

Bulma, totally unsurprised by the attitude in his response, nodded understandingly rather than chastising him. “It must be torture for you to be stuck behind a desk while your peers are off gallivanting on unknown planets. So what’d you do to get yourself into such trouble?”

She was answered with a stubborn grunt.

“Well, if you’re gonna be a baby, I’m gonna go back to work and stop wasting my time on someone who’s got a stick so far up his ass he can’t even be civil to the one person who treats him as a friend around here.” Bulma tucked her hair behind her ear and started heading for the door of his office.

“Wait.”

She waited.

“I was sent out on a mission to planet 857, and while we were there, I had been given strict orders *not* to kill anyone.” Vegeta rolled his eyes, obviously disgusted with the idea of being told *not* to do exactly what he was trained to do. “An enemy planet, but we’re trading with them for some godforsaken reason, so I was told not to kill.”

Bulma’s eyes widened. “Ohh, so who did you kill?”

Vegeta’s brows knitted together in what could only be described as a face filled with something like remorse. “We had gone to a bar. We had exhausted every search method we could think of in an effort to secure the mineral we were sent to collect. The mineral was to be used to heal several men who had been attacked by the poisonous, sentient plants of planet Photosynthia. Anyway, one of my men was essentially hypnotized by the charm of planet 857’s women. One particular woman sought him out, and tricked him into following her to her bed. There waited her husband, who helped her tie him up and gag him in his drunken stupor. We obviously went to collect our teammate and beat the fuck out of those worthless scumbags, being that we now had a justifiable reason to back up our already pressing need to hurt something. While we did so, though, the woman’s husband came at me with an 857 Scythe. I stepped out of the way and it accidentally took off the head of a little boy who later turned out to be the couple’s son.” Vegeta took a deep breath. I blame myself for the death of that young boy, but I took out my rage on the man. I’ve never killed anyone else so brutally or savagely, and I later found out the man I killed was an asset to us. “ Vegeta shook his head quietly. “I killed a man who did not deserve to be killed.”

Bulma stayed quiet for a few moments, unsure of what to say. She felt bad for the cocky Saiyan Prince. It seemed that he had been through a lot that she didn’t know about.

“That’s why I’m stuck behind this desk. It’s nothing personal against you; I just really enjoyed my field work. Unfortunately I had a lapse in judgement that cost me my freedom.” Vegeta rubbed his temples. “Anyway, there you go. You asked, I answered. Are we done here?”

Bulma nodded and before leaving his office, she offered words of comfort. “I’ve never killed anyone, but I have fired an employee who didn’t deserve it, and it resulted in his wife leaving him for being fired. We all make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You’ll be back in the field in no time, the Saiyan Army just has to make sure the public sees they aren’t about random killings, and the only way they could really convey that to the public, who doesn’t know the whole story, is to ‘punish’ someone.” She walked back to the hangar and got to work.

Vegeta was surprised. He had never pegged the Earth woman for such an understanding creature. He found himself impressed once again by her. She was more than just a pretty face after all. He nodded thoughtfully to himself as he grabbed the stack of papers balanced precariously on the paper tray with the label reading “Inbox”, and got to work filling them in or scratching things out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma wiped the sweat that was beading up on her forehead and tiredly walked to the mess hall. She was starving, it was lunch time, and she needed a break from all of the struggling she’d been doing with the shitty mechanical work done in the older ships. They had been made far before she ever worked at Galactic Auto and it was clear to Bulma that whoever had been the head mechanic before her had absolutely no idea what they were doing. She slowly trudged to the cafeteria passing through the training room hallway. To either side of her, there were training rooms filled with shirtless men working out, their large muscles pulsing with every movement. She had no complaints – why wouldn’t she enjoy waking past a bunch of hunky shirtless men? She stopped short though, when in front of her one of the doors opened, and out stepped a shirtless and sweaty Vegeta. His chest and arms were shimmering in the fluorescent lighting from the sweat. He didn’t notice her at first, but once he did, he nodded in acknowledgement to her. Bulma did her best to maintain her composure. She had never actually seen him without his shirt on, and now that she had, the mental picture of him without a shirt was seared into her memory forever. Vegeta walked to the mess hall to slam his system with protein, and Bulma meekly followed behind doing her best not to let it be known she was enamored with Vegeta’s unclothed chest and back. She bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from smiling the way a fangirl would upon seeing her idol. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d never felt this way before, especially not with Yamcha. She grabbed her lunch and sat down at an empty table. To her pleasure and misfortune, Vegeta sat at the table with her once he had grabbed his food as well.


	4. A night together with you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma really wants this man's attention

“H-Hi Vegeta.” Bulma stammered, trying her best not to stare at him.

“Hello, Miss Briefs.”

“Bulma.”

“Huh?”

“Just call me Bulma.”

“Very well. Bulma.”

“S-so um, how’s your day going?” Bulma tried to make conversation but for a reason she was overly aware of, she couldn’t formulate a single meaningful thing to say or ask.

“Fine. I’ve been working out all morning so I’m really feeling my excellence flow through my veins today.” Vegeta smirked as he took another bite of his food. “This food is great too. We don’t have chickens or fish on my planet. At least, nothing like this. It’s delicious. At least there’s more than just one good thing about this hell hole of a planet.”

Bulma bit her lip again when she saw him smirk. What the hell? Why was he suddenly so sexy? Bulma subtly shook her head and continued to speak. “More than one good thing? What was the other thing? Or what are the other things?”

Vegeta seemed to be caught off guard by the question and avoided it completely by asking her a question in return. “Have you met my brother, Tarble, yet?”

Bulma shook her head. “I have not.” 

“You will be meeting him soon. He needs a vehicle to take him to his wife’s home planet because her parents want them to visit.” Vegeta picked up his plate and scraped the last bit of food left into his mouth.

“Ah, alright, thank you for the heads up.” Bulma smiled.

“Don’t mention it. I must get back to work.” Vegeta stood up and walked away. Bulma couldn’t keep herself from watching him walk away. It was official. She’d developed a crush on the boss. It was time she moved on, and why not with Vegeta? She decided she didn’t want anything serious, so why not just have some fun with it? Tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to work it.

The next morning, Bulma came to work with confidence. When she stepped through the door, all eyes were on her. As she strutted through the hangar to her office, her coworkers and employees couldn’t help but notice her outfit. Bulma was wearing business attire consisting of a fitted black dress that generously (but professionally) showed off her cleavage and neckline, hugged her hips tightly and flattered her curves. To match, she wore some tasteful black pumps that clacked against the hangar concrete and reverberated throughout the shop. She smiled at her coworkers and waved hello to her newest friend, Gela. Her lips were painted a bright red that gave them a full and perfectly pouty look. Bulma looked great and she felt great, too. Once she made it to her office, she threw on her lab coat and began working out the math for the new radar equipment when she heard a knock at the door. She turned to see a short and rather skinny Saiyan man with a familiar black flame of hair atop his head.

“You must be Tarble.” She smiled kindly.

“Y-yes! That’s me! Nice to meet you Miss Briefs.” Tarble extended his hand eagerly, smiling back equally as kindly.

It was obvious to Bulma that this Saiyan must be significantly younger than his brother. She found him adorable. “Alright, so, what can I do for you, Tarble? And Buma is fine if you please.”

“Well, I need a ship that can travel about 80,000 miles round trip in a matter of days. I know it’s a lot to ask, but my wife really wants to see her parents as they’ve requested to see us. We didn’t get to see them on holiday and we both miss her parents. Unfortunately, though, I won’t be able to stay for long because I have to leave on assignment with my battle squad quite soon as well, but I want to leave my wife with her parents so she’s not lonely while I’m away.” Tarble hurriedly explained his situation to Bulma in an effort to justify his request.

Bulma chuckled. “Don’t worry, Tarble, I can easily build something like that for you, you don’t have to justify your request. Simply place the request and I’ll build it. When do you need it? I’d need at least a week to prepare and another to get it built.”

“I have a month. So I’d need it by the 25 th of next month. Would that be possible?” Tarble fidgeted with his hands.

“That’s plenty of time! I’ll get to work on the blue prints right away. I actually might already have a prototype with a design that might work and if I do, perhaps I can have it ready for you even sooner and give you some extra time to be with your wife and her parents. How does that sound?” Bulma smiled again.

“That would be wonderful! Thank you, Bulma! I’ll go tell my wife! Oh! She’ll be so happy to hear it!” Tarble ran off excitedly.

Bulma smiled bigger and shook her head. She secretly wished she could run off and tell her husband things but she’d need a husband first and so far, no one was husband material that she had met. Or so she thought.

The afternoon rolled around and Bulma decided to grab lunch in the mess hall and walked the same way she had gone the day before. She was determined to run into Vegeta. She wanted him to see her. To her disappointment, though, she walked through that hallway without even seeing him through a training room window. She grabbed her lunch and sat down at the table and ate her lunch, her chest still stinging in disappointment at not being seen in her stylish outfit by the hunky Saiyan man that she called her boss. Once she finished her meal, she walked back to her office and got back to work. Before she knew it, it was after work hours and she decided to call it a night and head home. While walking out of her office, she heard the thumping of military grade Saiyan boots walking in her direction. She wondered what any of the military men were doing her still unless there had been some late shift workers assigned to Galactic Auto. Perhaps one of them had stayed behind to get ahead on some paperwork or just wanted to be alone in the training area. She shrugged and continued walking through the ship hangar and out to the waiting area where the transport capsules were that would take her to her apartment. While she waited, she looked up and saw a familiar face, and her skin instantly became fevered.

“Hello, Vegeta.” She spoke softly.

“Bulma. What are you doing out here so late?” Vegeta asked.

“I stayed a bit later so I could make some real headway on your brother’s transport request. He’s an absolute sweetheart.” Bulma smiled. 

Vegeta seemed to notice her dress because his jaw clenched and his cheeks radiated the faintest shade of pink. 

“Is everything okay, Vegeta?” Bulma asked, making her voice sound softer.

“It has been a longer day than I thought it would be.” He grunted.

“What are you doing out here around the transport vehicles?” Bulma raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you live here?”

Vegeta shook his head. “Not permanently. I also have an apartment in West City on Earth for when I go on leave.”

“Can’t you fly?” Bulma pressed.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “It’s prohibited that Saiyan personnel fly within city limits.”

Bulma nodded. “Ah, I see, I see. Well, would you like to carpool? If that’s where you’re going, of course.”

Vegeta only nodded in response. Though Bulma wasn’t aware, Vegeta was struggling not to stare at her. Her body was wrapped deliciously in a perfectly form fitting dress that flattered every wonderful curve, but still kept it classy. Her scent was permeating all of the air around them, and it was all he could do not to take a deep breath of it. She smelled tempting, and Vegeta had no idea if she could tell she was driving him wild or not. 

Soon, the transport vehicle showed up and Bulma got in and patted the seat next to her. “Come on, I won’t bite.” She winked at him.

Vegeta shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Woman, please try to remain professional until we’re at least on your stupid planet.”

Bulma laughed. “Relax, tough guy, no one is going to know we’re chatting.”

The ride was fairly silent after that; the Saiyan prince kept his eyes locked on the scene that passed them by out his window and Bulma tinkered with a scouter she’d brought with her, until some slight turbulence hit and the blue haired genius lost her grip of her screwdriver. It soared through the air, and Bulma tried to catch it, knowing it’d be a pain to try and find it if she lost sight of it in the darkened back seat of the transport vehicle. Vegeta, without averting his gaze out the window, snatched the screwdriver out of the air and held it towards Bulma.

Her big blue eyes widened and stared at him, impressed. “Thank you, Vegeta.”

“Mhm.” He grunted. 

They suddenly, causing both of the passengers to look at the driver. 

“What the hell is going on up there Taldor?” Vegeta growled.

“I’m terribly sorry Major! But there seems to be an issue with the engine!” The driver answered nervously.

“Maybe I can take a look at it? I did help my father design these, after all.” Bulma offered, smiling kindly at the driver. 

“Oh yes! Thank you Miss Briefs!” Taldor smiled big, revealing sparkly white teeth under blue lips that were a shade darker than the rest of his blue skin.

Bulma looked over at Vegeta. “So, I’ll need some help.”

“With what?” Vegeta raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her. 

“I just need you to hold onto me so I don’t float off into space.” Bulma laughed as she took out an emergency mechanics mask that allowed her to breathe in space. Once she had it on, she pressed a small pink button and the mask let out a hiss, and the big lense across her eyes lit up to help her see. “Okay, Vegeta, out we go.” 

“Woman.”

“Hm?”

“Aren’t you going to freeze?” Vegeta pointed out. It hadn’t crossed her mind. 

“Well shit. You’re right. If I had my mechanic’s suit I’d be fi-” Bulma’s voice cut off as she watched Vegeta digging in his chest plate until he pulled out a capsule she’d given him. He pressed the button on the top and dropped it to the seat, revealing a spare blue spandex uniform. Bulma had designed it of a special material that would fit any body that wore it so that she wouldn’t need to make special alterations to uniforms when they needed new ones. 

“Don’t look.” Bulma giggled as she unzipped the back of it and pushed her legs into the pants. Vegeta rolled his eyes for the third time that night and looked away. 

“Vegeta, will you zip the back for me? It’s stuck.” 

To Vegeta’s frustration and delight, he turned to look at her and saw her back and the hooks of her red bra. Her back was smooth and without a single flaw of her skin, and her spine delicately shown through her skin. He gently reached for the zipper and fidgeted with it until he managed to fix it, and then pulled it upward. 

“There.” He said.

“Thank you.” Bulma said.

They both exited the transport and began working together. Vegeta floated behind her to ensure she didn’t float off into space, and watched her work. She was very good at what she did, and had the transport running again in 20 minutes. 

“Okay, let’s get back into the transport.” She said, once satisfied with her work.

“Thank you Miss Briefs!” Taldor thanked her, clasping his four fingered hands together. “You’re very kind!” He quickly got the transport warmed back up and they were off, making it to Earth in less time than usual. Leave it to Bulma Briefs to not only fix the transport, but improve it and make it work better than when she found it. Once the transport was on the street Bulma had asked for, she hopped out, but to her surprise, a grumpy Saiyan Prince hopped out behind her. 

“Oh, you live here?” Bulma asked. 

“No, but I’m hungry, and there’s a restaurant right here.” He gestured to the building directly to the right. 

Bulma smiled. “Oh, I love this place. They have great food.”

“Are you hungry as well?” Vegeta asked her, refusing to look her in the eyes. 

“Actually, I am feeling a bit peckish.I could eat.” She nodded and walked through the door as he held it open for her.

Once they were seated, the atmosphere between the two became slightly awkward, but mostly because Bulma could feel herself growing more nervous by the second. The flourescent lights of the mess hall on Galactic Auto did no justice for the wonderful features of Vegeta’s face. Of course she knew he was handsome, but the dimmed, warm, lighting of the restaurant did something to the way he looked that made Bulma’s heart speed up a little.    
“Are you feeling alright, Bulma?” Vegeta suddenly looked into her eyes as he spoke.

“Huh? Y-yeah, I’m fine. Why?” She gulped.

“Your heart is beating so loudly it seems like you’re nervous or something.” He said nonchalantly. 

“Oh, well…” Bulma took a moment to decide whether to be brave or not.

“Well what?” Vegeta pressed.

“Well you just look so dashing in this lighting, it took me a bit by surprise.”

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so?” He asked, a layer of cockiness weighing on his tone as he shot her a smirk she hadn’t seen before. It was different than his usual taunting smirk used to make others feel belittled. It was almost playful, a dare for her to continue the conversation if she had it in her. She did. 

“Absolutely. It’s no secret you’re a good looking man, but this lighting does wonders for your features in a way that harsh bright lighting can’t.” Bulma looked at her nails with feigned disinterest and coolness. 

Vegeta’s face threatened to turn pink, but he resisted. What was happening? He’d never really engaged in flirting.That wasn’t to say he’d never been with a woman before, but he’d certainly never entertained any sort of playful banter with one. He was used to simply getting what he wanted and moving on without a second thought about her. But something about Bulma made him want to savor every moment of heat between them, and if he wasn’t mistaken, things were slowly burning hotter. 

He flashed a smile that would’ve made the average woman weak at the knees and looked back down to his menu. 

The waiter quickly zipped by saying “I’ll be with you two in a moment!”

Bulma simply nodded and kept looking at her menu. She absentmindedly adjusted her black dress as she browsed the menu. She settled on something simple so as not to overfill herself right before heading home to sleep. Vegeta, however, did the exact opposite and ordered an abundance of food which made their waiter ask him about twenty times if he was sure he wanted that much to which Vegeta responded with the treat of ripping his limbs off his body if he kept asking foolish questions. 

Once the waiter walked off, Bulma rested her head on her hand and closed her eyes for a moment, realizing how absolutely exhausted she was. Vegeta took that chance to really look at her, and he had to agree; the lighting of the restaurant was in fact very flattering. She looked mysterious and soft. Her skin glowed beautifully in the lighting, and her breasts sat prettily in place, showing off the slight highlight she’d applied to them to make them more eye catching if the looker was paying attention. Vegeta rubbed his face. What was happening to him? At this moment, his appetite for food was gone and all he could think about was wrapping his gloved hands around that pretty little wasit of hers. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, though, when Bulma’s eyes fluttered open again and almost caught him staring. He looked away just in time, and kept a straight face so as not to give away his thoughts to the alluring engineer sitting across the table from him. 

Bulma decided to tease him, and stretched out one of her legs underneath the table so that her bare ankle softly brushed against his leg while avoiding looking at him. Vegeta responded by slowly tilting his booted foot so that her ankle was actually resting on his. Their bodies became warm at the slight touch. 

Neither made any more moves, though, and ate their food silently once it was brought out. Vegeta finished his meal just as Bulma sat down her fork to push her empty plate away from herself. Bulma called to the waiter and handed him her card before Vegeta could protest. 

“I could’ve gotten that, Bulma.”

“It’s fine, it was mainly out of habit anyway.” Bulma said, waving it off. 

They finally moved their ankles back to their respective sides of the table and stood up to leave after the waiter had returned Bulma’s card to her. She’d left a generous tip and the waiter had wiped away tears from his eyes as he thanked her for her generosity.

The pair walked out and Bulma shivered slightly, noticing that the air had gotten drastically cooler while they’d dined. 

Vegeta noticed her discomfort and stepped closer. Bulma felt the heat radiating off of him. “How are you so warm?” She asked. 

“It’s a Saiyan thing.” He answered. “Will you be alright getting home?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thank you, Vegeta.” She smiled and turned to walk in the direction of her home. After about 5 minutes, she suddenly felt the warmth again and turned to see Vegeta just as he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him while they walked. “There are three men following you. Play along.” He said. 

Bulma wasted no time in wrapping her arm around his waist and stealing his warmth as they headed for her house. Once they were at the front door, Bulma pulled out her keys and grabbed his wrist, pulling him in with her.

“I have a place to st-” Vegeta’s voice was cut off by Bulma’s lips gently pressing against his own. 

“You can stay here tonight.” She whispered softly, and turned to walk away. 

Vegeta stood still in stunned silence. She’d kissed him and he hadn;t pushed her away. Hadn’t grabbed her and ripped her clothes off. Hadn’t been repulsed. He wanted more but was somehow satisfied with what he’d gotten. Vegeta was still standing there when Bulma had come back in pink pajama shorts and a red loose fitting tee. 

“Well come on, silly, I’ll show you to your room.”

Vegeta followed her wordlessly. 

Once she gestured to the guest room, he locked eyes with her. “Bulma I-”

“Yes?” She stepped closer, her eyes wide and sparkly. 

Vegeta hesitated. He had thought about how she’d feel under him, and he could sense her attraction to him as well, but he was never one to let anyone else be in charge, let alone a partner. 

“I enjoyed dinner and I appreciate your hospitality. Goodnight.” He smirked to himself as he walked into his room, knowing full well it would tease her more. 

Bulma sighed to herself in quiet disappointment and said, “You’re welcome, Vegeta. Sleep well.” With that, she headed for her room, got into bed, and both of them went to sleep in their own beds. 


	5. Hey, let's live together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took a while, but here it is! Chapter 5! I hope you like it ;)

Vegeta woke to the smell of breakfast being cooked, and the soft chatter of what he assumed to be the woman’s family. He quickly got dressed and made his way downstairs, intending to avoid the family entirely, but failed miserably as he nearly ran over Bulma as he turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs. 

“Good morning.” Bulma said softly.

He nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Are you hungry?” Bulma spared him the bother of being bombarded with questions knowing it wasn’t something he’d appreciate, especially since her family was practically within earshot and likely eavesdropping anyway. 

“So, who the hell is that?” a boyish voice came from the kitchen. Vegeta’s eyebrow twitched at the voice.

“He’s a coworker and I told you we shared a transport from GA and I offered him a room here because he’d have to walk farther to his apartment. MInd your business, Yami.” Bulma answered.

It had been several months since the two had split and they’d resumed their good friendship. Bulma would never be able to wash her hands of Yamcha as far as their friendship went. He was her first love and that had to count for something didn’t it? 

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and get your share of flapjacks! I want seconds!” Yamcha whined. 

Bulma shook her head and looked back at Vegeta. “Well? You hungry or not?”

Vegeta weighed his options, and against his better judgement, decided to accept her offer. “I could eat.”

Bulma nodded and smiled, gently grabbing his arm and leading him into the kitchen where the small breakfast table was. “Here, have a seat and I’ll get you a plate.”

Vegeta did as she asked and sat directly across from Yamcha, and suddenly realized who he was. He was perplexed. This man had been responsible for causing the woman to second guess herself and she’d obviously been very hurt by him, but here he was, and there they were, chatting away like two siblings. It confused him, and as much as he wanted to say something to this man responsible for the blue haired woman’s tears, he held back. If she was content with his presence, Vegeta saw no reason to cause discourse. 

Bulma served him a plate piled high with flapjacks and a bowl of fruit. She knew saiyan portions were much bigger than a human’s, and giggled when she watched her family stare in awe as Vegeta devoured the plate of food in front of him. His big arms crossed over his chest and he leaned back in his chair.

“So, my boy, you work with Bulma, correct?” an old man with a lavender mustache asked. 

Vegeta grunted in response with a curt nod. 

“It’s so lucky of Bulma to work with such a hunky man!” Panchy giggled.

“Mom!” Bulma’s face went completely red as she avoided eye contact with the prince who was now smirking to himself from across the table. 

Vegeta’s napkin slid off his leg, and as he leaned down to pick it up, he saw Bulma’s bare legs under the tablecloth. He didn’t linger in looking at them for fear someone would catch him, so when he sat back up, he slid his foot directly forward and hooked his foot around the back of Bulma’s ankle. Her eyes darted over to him and went from surprise to a look Vegeta couldn’t quite read until he felt her foot hook around the back of his ankle in response. She smiled softly at him before continuing to chat with Yamcha and her parents. 

“Well! We should get going if we’re going to catch our flight, dearie!” Panchy said, gently touching her husband’s arm. 

Dr. Briefs nodded and stood up from the table and helped Panchy up by offering his hand. 

“Yeah, I have to get going too! Me and Goku are gonna go to the batting cages so I can see how hard he can hit a baseball!” Yamcha said with a boyish grin plastered across his face. 

Bulma giggled. “Just be careful, the both of you. If you get hurt come over and I’ll get you guys fixed up.”

Yamcha nodded. “Will do, B. See ya!” He got up and walked out the door leaving her alone with Vegeta.

They sat wordlessly staring in opposite directions until Bulma abruptly stood up and walked over to stand next to Vegeta who looked up at her with an eyebrow raised. 

“Vegeta.” She said. 

“Hm?” His eyes searched hers. His heart rate slightly sped up from how close she was, and he was sure she’d reach out and grab his face for a kiss.

“Which apartment complex in West City are you staying at?” She asked. 

He wasn’t expecting that. “Shenron Apartments. Why?”

“I was afraid you’d say that…” She said, turning to grab a tv remote and turning on the small television on the kitchen counter. 

His apartment complex was on tv and had apparently been burned down in an electrical fire. “...residents say they just barely escaped the explosion set off in the boiler room. Preliminary speculations suggest that because the complex was so old, the heating system had finally broken down and a small smark near an electrical outlet had gone up in flames. Firefighters struggled through the evening to get the fire under control before finally being able to put it out completely.” A news reporter spoke seriously. 

“Well fuck.” Vegeta said. “There goes my place to stay off base and my fucking uniforms.” He shook his head. 

“You can stay here..” Bulma whispered. 

“What?” He looked at her. 

“Well, it’s not like we don’t have a lot of room and we also have a lot of things your complex didn’t have like a gym, a heated indoor swimming pool, a home theater, as well as tons of training equipment strong enough for a Saiyan.” She spoke seriously. 

Vegeta looked at her, bewildered. “That’s… generous.”

Bulma’s face went deep red. “Well it was just an offer! I mean you’re a grown man, you can do as you please!” Bulma fidgeted with her hair. “I’m going to get dressed and then clean the kitchen!”

Before Vegeta could say a word, she had scurried upstairs to her bedroom. 

When Bulma came back downstairs in a fresh and cute outfit, she was disappointed to find that Vegeta had left. “Fuck.” She mumbled. She really was trying to be kind and helpful. Despite her growing attraction to the Prince, her offer to let him live there had nothing to do with how she felt. She just genuinely wanted to help. She decided she’d spend the weekend making new uniforms for him, better ones, and leave them in his office with an apology card for… “What the fuck am I apologizing for? Being nice? Being a creep?” Bulma shook her head. She had a bad habit of being too forward, and sometimes forgot that people weren’t open books like she was when it came to gestures of kindness and expressing feelings. She got to work cleaning the kitchen. Once she finished she decided to plop onto the couch with a bag of potato chips and crunched noisily as she got sucked into a romantic comedy.

“Ugh!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “Why can’t you see that she loves you? Are you that stupid, Jerry?” She halfheartedly smacked the pillow next to her out of frustration before leaning to the side and smushing her face into the soft fabric. 

“Should I come back at another time?” a gruff voice came from behind the couch. 

Bulma raised her head and saw the Prince looking confused. She scrambled to her feet and fixed her hair. “You came back?”

Vegeta nodded. “I left to inspect the burn site myself. I spoke with the landlord and told him I was terminating my residence. He said I still owed him this month’s rent until I persuaded him to have a change of heart.” He smirked. 

“Oh? And how might you have accomplished that?” Bulma raised an eyebrow in feigned inquiry. 

Vegeta adjusted his white gloves. “Oh, I have my ways. But they’re trade secrets, I’m afraid.” As he spoke to her, he realized he’d never actually seen Bulma in average clothing, and in the back of his mind, had to admit she looked cute. Beautiful, even. “You look nice, by the way.” He said with false casualness in his voice. 

“Oh, thank you, Vegeta.” Bulma smiled warmly, her eyes looking into his. “You wanna come sit with me? We can watch whatever you want.”

“Okay but no romance shit.” Vegeta said.

Bulma laughed. “Like I said, whatever you want to watch.”

Bulma watched as he walked around and took a seat on the couch and she plopped down next to him suddenly realizing how close they were. Her arm was pressed against his, and she could smell his cologne. She couldn’t tell if Vegeta had noticed, but she was certain he had. Her feelings of attraction had only grown since Vegeta had started living at Capsule Corp, and Bulma had to calm herself many, many times when Vegeta had walked from the shower to his bedroom with only a towel around his waist. She decided she was tired of waiting. 

Vegeta looked over at her. “So..” He began. 

“Yes?” Bulma said with sparkly eyes. 

“Popcorn?” He asked. 

“Good idea.” She answered. She got up and hurried into the kitchen to grab a bowl while the popcorn popped away in the microwave. Once it was finished, it beeps loudly and Bulma quickly grabbed the bag by the corners and pulled it open. “Ow! Shit!” She yelled. Steam from the popcorn shot out from the bag and hit her hand, burning it relentlessly. Vegeta seemed to materialize in the room. 

“What’s wrong?”

“I just burned myself on some steam.” Bulma said, looking at her burnt hand. 

Vegeta took her wrist and guided her to the kitchen sink where he turned on cold water and ran her hand under it. It soothed the burn. He wrapped her hand in a towel and looked at her sternly. “You need to be more careful. Steam is really dangerous.”

Bulma nodded. The two eventually got the popcorn and got back on the couch to watch a movie, and while Bulma held the towel and an icepack Vegeta had gotten out for her on her hand, she realized she couldn’t grab any popcorn or the icepack would fall. That, and the pressure on her hand felt nice. “Vegeta? Can you give me some popcorn?” She asked. 

“Sure.” He absentmindedly grabbed some and held it in front of her lips. She took a bite, and her bottom lip brushed against his finger. Vegeta’s blood went hot and he tried to hide his emotions by shifting his body. Bulma noticed, and smiled internally. A few moments later, she asked again. This time, Vegeta grabbed on piece of popcorn and held it to her lips and she leaned forward and took it from his hand, brushing his finger with both of her lips this time. 

Vegeta looked over at her while she chewed the popcorn. To her surprise, he reached over and ran his thumb across her bottom lip. Neither spoke for a while. 

Vegeta finally turned his body toward her and stared into her eyes. “So how’s your hand?” He asked. 

“Fine.” Bulma answered. 

Vegeta nodded.

“How’s your hand?” She asked, playfulness dancing in her blue eyes. 

Vegeta didn’t know what to say. So instead, he leaned forward and cupped her face with his hand while he softly pressed his lips to hers. Her body responded well to his touch so he kept kissing her. He let out a soft groan when she gathered his bottom lip in her mouth and softly sucked at it. He slid the hand cupping her face to the nape of her neck and pressed her into himself firmly. She dropped the towel and icepack and winced as the stinging intensified from the burn, but ignored it to focus on the man in front of her. She leaned forward, her hands on his chest. She felt his tongue graze her lips asking for permission to enter her mouth which she answered with open lips and her tongue teasing his. They continued kissing for a while until Vegeta pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. “Treacherous snake.” He said. 

Bulma giggled. “You kissed me first.”

“You had your breasts out on display the night we went to dinner.”

Bulma blushed. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”

“I didn’t. It was a lovely sight.”

“Touch them.” Bulma whispered. 

Vegeta answered with a low growl and both hands grabbing her breasts. His hands were hot, and the feeling was enough to make Bulma moan. He massaged them over her shirt in his hands until Bulma grabbed his wrists and put his hands under her shirt revealing that she wasn’t wearing a bra. He leaned in and kissed her neck, softly sucking and biting her delicate skin. Bulma ran one hand through his hair and the other one gripped his muscular arm to stay steady. 

“Vegeta.” She whispered. 

He raised up from her neck and his hands slid out from under her shirt. “Hm?”

“Come with me.” She said, getting up from the couch and pulling him upstairs to her bedroom. 

Vegeta watched her climb onto her bed and pat the empty spot between her legs. Vegeta walked over and sat down quietly and let her come up behind him and run her hands up under his shirt feeling his abs and chest. He growled in pleasure of her touch when she ran her tongue from his shoulder up his neck and to his jawbone. “Touch me, Vegeta.”

He moved quickly and before she knew it, Bulma was on her back with Vegeta positioned between her knees and her wrists pinned to the bed. He leaned down and kissed her, tonguing her mouth before trailing hot kisses down her neck. He let go of her wrists and dragged his fingers up her thighs starting from her ankles. She shivered at the sensation and bit her lip to keep herself in check. His hands continued up her hips and pushed her tshirt up, revealing her breasts. He wasted no time in pressing his lips to her breast and sucking softly at first, teasing her hardened nipple with his hot tongue while mimicking the motion with his thumb on the other breast. Bulma moaned and Vegeta took his free hand and slid it down her stomach and between her legs feeling the moisture that had been pooling at her entrance. He rubbed circles on her swollen clit and growled in arousal as she moaned and bucked her hips slightly. He unlatched his mouth from her breast and looked at her, watching her facial expressions. “Tell me what you want.” He growled. 

“I want you, Vegeta.” She whined. 

“You want me to what, Bulma? Use your words.” He continued teasing her. 

“I want you to take me right here!” She whimpered loudly. 

He stopped playing with her and reached down to unbuckle his pants and pulled his pants and boxers down, his erection springing out. He grabbed Bulma’s shorts and panties and slid them down her legs and tossed them off the bed. “Are you ready?” He whispered huskily. 

“Yes!”

“Bulma.” He said.

“What?” Bulma looked up.

“Bulma.”

Her eyes flew open and she jumped. She was in the living room, passed out on the couch. She’d quickly fallen asleep after cleaning the kitchen and when she looked at her watch, she saw that it was late in the evening. She saw Vegeta standing in the kitchen doorway with an extra chest plate in one hand and the rest of a spare uniform in the other. “I went to Celestia to grab a spare uniform so I can rotate between the two while I’m here.” He said, gesturing to the clothes in his hands. 

It had been a dream. Her intelligent mind had just teased the shit out of her. She was pissed with herself. “Oh, okay, good plan. So, I didn’t freak you out earlier?”

“No. Should your gesture have bothered me?” Vegeta asked, a bit confused. 

“Well, usually guys would see that as some form of trying to like, tie them down.” Bulma explained. 

“I’m not sure what you mean, but I don’t think I want to know.” Vegeta furrowed his brows. “I’m exhausted. But mostly hungry.”

“I think I’ve had enough sleep to last a lifetime.” Bulma muttered to herself. 

“What was that?” Vegeta asked.

“Oh nothing, should we go get some food or have it delivered?” Bulma asked, frustratedly brushing her bangs out of her face. 

Vegeta smirked. It was like he knew something she didn’t. Before she could ask him what was so amusing, though, he headed toward his room. “Takeout sounds good. I’m too tired to deal with people.”

Bulma smiled a little. “Well, he doesn’t consider me ‘people’, so I suppose that’s a good sign.” She whispered to herself as she watched him disappear from view. This arrangement would likely test every ounce of self control on her part. 


	6. Stop Teasing Me

It had been about two months since the unlikely pair had been living together. Vegeta had developed a new habit of waking up later on his days off to enjoy the bountiful breakfasts the blue eyed heiress’ mother made. Though he enjoyed her cooking, he wasn’t particularly fond of her gushing over him all the time, but he chalked it up to motherly traits that even his mother had once had. 

“Oh! Good morning, Vegeta, dear!” Panchy chirped happily. She wore a cropped white button up blouse and some stone washed high waist jeans that hugged her body almost  _ too _ snugly. Vegeta was certainly not ever left to wonder where Bulma had gotten her looks  _ or _ her sense of style. 

“Hn.” Vegeta grunted in reply. Though some of her doting could be a bit much, Vegeta didn’t particularly mind being waited on hand and foot. He just got embarrassed any time Panchy talked about his physique. 

“What’s our handsome new man want for breakfast today?” Panchy asked. 

“I dunno.” Vegeta averted his gaze from her direction. 

“I’ll just make lots of things then!” Panchy clapped her hands before putting on a cutesy pink apron and getting to work.

Bulma came into the kitchen through the door that led out to the lush lawn they held their picnics and barbecues at. She looked like hell; her hair in knots, dried drool on her cheek, her eyes squinting, and her lab coat and shirt wrinkled. To someone who didn’t know better, she’d look hungover. “Ugh.” 

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her appearance. “Rough night, woman?” He smirked. 

“Clam it, chowderhead. I spent all night trying to decode the language on the ESBC map, but the fucking program I was using just started malfunctioning and I had to resort to doing it by hand. It took forever.” Bulma groaned, peering at Vegeta through still squinted eyes. She walked over to the coffee pot, which had thankfully already been filled with freshly brewed coffee by her overly cheerful mother, Panchy. 

“ESBC map?” Panchy repeated. 

“Yeah, mama, it stands for Extraterrestrial Saiyan Battle Course map. It’s essentially an itinerary for the Saiyans on where and when they need to be for the next x amount of time they’re sent away.” Bulma explained patiently. 

“Oh I see, well, if you kids are hungry, there’s some fresh muffins to hold you over until I’m done with these eggs and bacon!” Panchy said. 

“Thanks, mom. I’m gonna go take a shower and just get myself together before I eat, but I’ll be back down in a while.” Bulma walked out of the kitchen and went up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Vegeta hadn’t known how to bring it up, but he wanted to talk to her about how he’d heard her saying his name over and over in her sleep. He’d left the day she’d offered him a place to live, and when he’d returned, she was fast asleep on the couch saying his name in her slumber. It would have been an understatement to say he was curious. 

As Vegeta was lost in thought, what brought him back to the reality of the breakfast being made for him was the sound of a coffee cup being placed in front of him. He looked up and saw the lavender haired man with the big bushy mustache and the cat on his shoulder. 

“Good morning, my boy. The equipment you asked for has been prepared and whenever you’re ready to use it, here’s the ignition card.” Dr. Briefs handed Vegeta a chip that would fit into his scouter. This way, the ship Dr. Briefs had made for him would go without being stolen. The only way to activate the ship was for him to step on while wearing the scouter containing the ignition chip.

“Thank you, old man.” Vegeta said.

“Anytime, my boy.” Dr. Briefs answered, taking a seat next to the Saiyan Prince. 

Vegeta drummed his fingers on the table when Bulma finally reappeared looking fresh and dewy from her shower and clean clothes. She wore an old tshirt and cotton shorts and a pair of fuzzy slide slippers. She stretched before grabbing the seat directly across from Vegeta. She smiled when their eyes met, and Vegeta gave her a slight nod in acknowledgement. 

“Alrighty everyone! Here’s breakfast!” Panchy said, setting down large platters filled with scrambled eggs and bacon and fruit. 

Just as everyone had served themselves a plate, Bulma and Vegeta dropped their forks when their pagers, which had been left on the counter of the kitchen, started beeping furiously. THey leapt out of their seats and ran over and grabbed them. 

“Shit!” They both yelled. The two scrambled to their bedrooms.

Bulma stumbled as she pulled a ripped pair of jeans on. She hit the floor but kept pulling until she could button them and then scrambled back to her feet and over to her closet to grab a white Capsule Corp tee and a white pair of sneakers. She grabbed her phone and keys and ran out the door. As she was fiddling with the keys, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. “There’s no time for that, we have to report immediately. Hold on tight.” Vegeta turned her around and pulled her up so that her arms were around his neck and her legs were around his torso. Her face turned pink as he grabbed her thigh to help keep her steady as he took off into the air. 

“I thought it was against protocol to fly in city limits??” Bulma yelled. 

“Not in this case, if we are needed immediately.” Vegeta answered, trying not to focus on how her body felt pressed against his own. 

As they reached the base, Vegeta gently landed down on his feet and set Bulma on hers. “Alright, let’s go.” Vegeta let go of her and swiftly headed toward the conference room.

Bulma tried to catch her breath as she stumbled after him, but when she started to fall forward, she felt two hands pull her back up.

“Hey Bulma, maybe don’t face plant right before a meeting?” Raditz said. He could see she was a little disoriented from the speed Vegeta had been flying as he’d seen them land outside. “Alright, up you go.” Raditz knelt down and gestured for Bulma to climb onto his back, and he carried her piggyback style to the conference room. Once they made it there, he put her in the seat next to Vegeta. While she’d been employed there, she’d gained a title of equal status as Vegeta’s “Major” title. 

Bulma, still feeling dizzy, tried her best not to vomit on the conference table as she waved at her friend Goku, who had joined the meeting since he’d been with his brother when the alert came out.

“What’s wrong with you?” Vegeta asked her. 

“Your crazy ass failed to realize humans are more sensitive to flying that speed without oxygen tanks and stuff.” Raditz shook his head. 

Vegeta shot him an irritated glare but turned back to Bulma just as she slid out of her seat and hit the floor. She was out cold, and everyone in the room panicked. “Oh god, I don’t know anything about human anatomy! How are we gonna help her?” Raditz yelled. 

“Man I don’t fucking know! But the general is gonna have our asses if something happens to Bulma!” Nappa groaned. 

“Don’t worry guys, I know what to do!” Goku yelled as he walked over to her. “I need some space so we aren’t taking up all of the air around her though.” He listened to see if she was breathing, and found that she wasn’t. He started doing chest compressions as Bulma had shown him many times, and then surprised everyone when his lips were then on hers, trying to get air into her lungs. As Goku worked, Vegeta found himself particularly uncomfortable seeing Goku’s mouth on Bulma’s, but his thoughts were quickly interrupted as Bulma sat up, coughing violently. 

“Bulma! Are you okay?” Goku asked. “I did chest compressions like you showed me.”

“Oh, thank you Goku. I’m okay, I think I just got too dizzy and my brain needed to reboot.” Bulma chuckled weakly. 

Just as they got Bulma back into her seat, the general walked in. “Good morning, everyone. It has come to my attention that Cooler has come out of hiding and was recently spotted in the Charlitanen star system. I’ll be sending a team of you out to capture him and bring him in. Being that it’ll be so far, Bulma, I’ll be sending you as well.”

“I haven’t quite familiarized myself with that area, so where about would that be?” Bulma asked. 

“Surely you’ve heard of Saturn.” The general said, looking at her.

“Oh, kami. We’re going to Saturn?” Bulma gulped.

“You’re going to one of Saturn’s moons, Titan.” 

“I could  _ die _ ! Humans aren’t built the same way as Saiyans!” Bulma screeched.

“Woman, obviously  _ we _ have the technology to get you there and back safely being that we’re going as well. Not to mention, Titan has been habitable for ages. Humans just haven’t figured it out yet since you’re all so scared of a little space travel being that you’re such a delicate and  _ fragile _ species.” Vegeta smirked.

“Fine, but if I die, Goku gets to destroy every last one of you blockheads! I’m taking you  _ with _ me!” Bulma yelled. 

“Can we  _ please _ stop talking about  _ Kakarot _ ? Gods.” Vegeta rolled his eyes in irritation. 

Bulma found Vegeta’s remark to be odd, but didn’t say anything in response to it. 

The meeting was over rather quickly and those traveling to Titan went to their bunks or places of residence to gather the things they’d need for their trip. They’d be traveling for three weeks, they’d arrive and stay on Saturn’s largest moon for 2 months, and they’d return to Galactic Auto three weeks after. 

Bulma prepared for the voyage in her bedroom. Grabbing as many capsules as she could and labelling them all by types of outfits. Vegeta had informed her that despite what human scientists believed, Titan had become something of a summer resort type of place. It wasn’t cold and 100 degrees below zero, it was more like 96 degrees F in the middle of summer. She packed summer clothes, and lush outfits to look dazzling. She was going to try and bait Cooler. He was known to enjoy the company of beautiful women, and Bulma just so happened to be a beautiful woman. Once she had all of her capsules, including those with jewelry, makeup, shoes, clothes, and of course, purses and other accessories, she grabbed a larger capsule and put it in her purse so she could take all of the important tools she’d need on Titan. She trotted downstairs to find Vegeta stepping out of his room to use the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. He turned and found himself face to face with Bulma.

“Do you need something?” Vegeta asked, his eyebrow raised. 

“Will you promise to make sure I don’t die on Titan?” Bulma asked, searching his eyes with her own, blue sapphire sparkling into deep onyx. 

Vegeta took in a breath. “Yes. I promise.”

“Thank you.” Bulma leaned in and kissed his cheek, and Vegeta caught a whiff of her natural scent, and before he knew it, he’d grabbed her arm as she’d turned away and pulled her right back to him. She blinked at him, and he stared at her with wide eyes in disbelief of what he’d just done. She decided to take her chance before it was gone. “If you wanted a real kiss you could’ve just  _ asked _ , Vegeta.”

“What? I never said th-” Vegeta’s eyes widened even more when Bulma grabbed his face and planted her lips on his. She pulled away, and gave him a flirty wink. 

“There ya go, tough guy.” She smiled and turned around again, but for a second time, felt him grab her arm. 

Vegeta wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her like he had when they took off to get to the meeting, but this time his hands slid down to her ass and gripped her firmly, and his face was buried in her neck. She had pleasant chills traveling up her spine when she felt herself being dropped onto his bed. He leaned over so that he was holding himself off of her with his hands which were placed on either side of her head. “So what if I want something else? Do I just ask?” He said in a low voice. 

Bulma stared up at him with flushed cheeks, until she realized he couldn’t possibly be serious. “Oh, Vegeta, it’s impolite to play with a woman’s emotions.” She snarked. 

Vegeta’s gaze never broke. “Is that so?” He asked in the same velvety smooth voice as he started lowering his face, slowly getting closer to hers.

Bulma fought hard to keep her poker face. “Yes, as a matter of fact it is. You’re being very rude.”

Vegeta was just a kiss away when he stopped leaning in, when he went to whisper in her ear. “I’ve been wondering what you were dreaming about when I came back from getting my uniforms the day you asked me to live here. I have had a lot of time to think about it, and I’ve taken note of the way you behave around me. You always find an excuse to touch me, whether it’s my shoulder, my chest, my arm, even my stomach. You can’t go a day without touching me.” He husked, his lips brushing against her ear, sending more chills up and down her spine. “So tell me, Bulma,” he let his lips softly brush the skin on her neck right beneath her ear, “what were you dreaming about, and why were you saying my name?”

Bulma was at a loss for words. She couldn’t possibly tell him about her dream! He’d never let her live it down, and she was almost certain he was just toying with her right now. Almost. Almost certain. But, if he wasn’t, she’d be foolishly ruining a moment with him. What would she do? Bulma Briefs took a deep breath. She’d play this game.

“I dreamt something similar to this.” She said. 

“Is that right?” Vegeta whispered, still speaking softly into her ear, before moving to the other side of her head and softly gathering her earlobe between his teeth. 

“Y-yes.” Bulma whimpered. 

“Bulma if you want something, you should just ask.” Vegeta chuckled.

“Vegeta am I dreaming? Is this really happening?” Bulma blurted out. 

He raised up so he could look her in the eyes. “Should we find out if this is a dream? Maybe it is.”

“How are we going to find out if it’s a dr-mmmm!” Bulma moaned in surprise as Vegeta silenced her. He pressed his hand over her mouth as he ran his tongue up her neck. 

“Are we dreaming, Bulma?” Vegeta groaned sensually into her ear. 

Bulma could feel herself trembling from the adrenaline and pleasure. She could only whimper in response. 

“Use your hands to stay grounded, woman.” Vegeta could hear her heart rate spike as he ran a strong hand up her thigh, his fingers tickling the inner part of her thigh, while he was still covering her mouth.

Bulma clawed his bare back, earning a pleased growl from the Saiyan Prince. 

“So, Bulma, am I going to rip the clothes off of your body, make you mine, and let everyone know what filthy things we did?” Vegeta asked, his voice predatory. 

Bulma frowned at the last part and yelled “No” into his hand. 

Vegeta pulled away from her completely all at once. “Now  _ you _ know what it’s like to be teased.” He walked away, saying nothing, leaving the heiress breathing heavily while she laid on her back, trying to collect herself. She was furious. How dare this man do this to her and make her heart race? But, if he said “Now you know what it’s like”... Does that mean she’s made him feel a similar way?

She threw her purse onto his bed and marched right into the bathroom as Vegeta was stepping into the shower and he looked at her with shock as she slammed the door shut behind her. She shoved him the rest of the way into the shower and stepped in behind him, completely clothed. 

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked more calmly than she’d expected.

“What do you mean now  _ I _ know?” Bulma crossed her arms.

“First of all, why did you need to get into the shower with me to ask?”

“Answer the question or I will punch your balls  _ right now _ .”

“I said now you know because you do that shit to me constantly. Always walking around in your panties, and shooting me a flirty look. Kissing me on the mouth with no warning. Leaning in closely and just before our lips meet, you pull away. It drives me mad.” Vegeta said, crossing his arms. 

“Well, Vegeta, here I am. Do you want me, or not?” Bulma asked, staring at him almost defiantly. 

Vegeta just grabbed her and spun them both around so she had her back pressed against the wall of the shower, and he ripped her tshirt in half and threw it out of the shower. Bulma gasped as he unbuttoned her jeans and yanked them down around her ankles, taking her panties down with them. He started kissing and sucking on her thighs without hesitation and he lifted each leg to take her pants and panties off of her ankles. Once he threw them out of the shower, he watched her unhook and toss her bra. Lips collided with lips and hands explored bodies. Bulma almost screamed in excitement when she felt one of his fingers penetrate her. She grabbed his throbbing erection and started working it to match the speed of his own hand, and the two moaned into each other’s mouths. Bulma moaned louder when she felt Vegeta’s body move forward and press onto hers, and whimpered when Vegeta growled into her ear. “Let me taste you.” He slowly squatted down and lifted one of her legs, placing her hands on his shoulders so she could balance. He started swirling his tongue around her swollen clit and plunging it into her, tasting her essence. It was sweet and he moaned into her, sending pleasant vibrations throughout her vaginal folds. Bulma found herself losing touch with reality until his softly bit into her thigh, grounding her again. He stood back up, and when she went to get on her knees, he stopped her. She looked at him with curious eyes. 

“A queen never kneels to a prince.” He said before claiming her mouth with his own. 

“Then let’s get out of the shower, and I’ll show you how a queen seats herself.” Bulma said back when he pulled away from her. 


	7. What is this feeling?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BOW CHICKA BOW WOW
> 
> As always, kudos, comment, follow me at @Sayajin_shojo on Twitter if shitposting and insecurity is something you can tolerate. Whatever you desire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a super lengthy chapter, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. I’ve had a frighteningly vast amount of free time on my hands that I’ve been totally unable to turn into writing time for various reasons. Depression (seasonal), anxiety of all kinds, writer’s block, etc. But I digress. I hope that you enjoy the chapter, next chapter we’ll be getting into the really good parts.

The two stumbled as they tried their hardest to get back to Vegeta’s bed, the sound of wet skin smacking onto wet skin, as they clumsily fell onto the bed together. Panting and soft gasps of pleasure filled the room as Vegeta laid on his back while Bulma bounced up and down on him. The prince’s eyes all but rolled back into his skull at the sensation. “Gods..” Vegeta couldn’t help it. 

Bulma slammed her hips down onto him, getting a deep feral growl of pleasure to escape his lips. He grabbed her waist and rolled her against himself. Bulma moaned loudly, shamelessly, almost screaming when she felt his thumb rub her clit. Suddenly, Vegeta had flipped them over so that Bulma was on her back. “Fuck..” Vegeta panted. He started thrusting into her until she planted her palm against his stomach. “What’s wrong?” Vegeta asked. 

Bulma’s eyes were hooded with ecstasy. “Bend me over the bed. I want you to fuck me like I’m a dirty little whore.” 

Vegeta’s face turned a light shade of pink but found himself even more aroused at her crude language. He grabbed her and easily flipped her onto her stomach, dragging her back so her feet were planted on the floor. He grabbed a handful of her hair and started slowly pushing himself into her, earning whimpers from her. “Vegeta!” 

“Tell me what you want, woman.” Vegeta growled. 

“Fuck me fast, Vegeta! Hard and fast!” Bulma begged, her thighs trembling. 

Vegeta kept pushing himself in slowly and reached around to slowly rub her clit with his finger. Bulma moaned and tried pushing herself backwards into Vegeta. He stopped her. “You’ll get this cock hard and fast if you beg for it well enough. Give me some reasons why I should.”

“Vegeta I want you so bad. I can hardly take it.  _ Please, _ Vegeta! Fuck me! I’ll do whatever you want!” She moaned. 

“I don’t know if I’m all that convinced,  _ Bulma _ .” Vegeta purred into her ear, slightly bucking his hips forward, pushing the rest of his dick into her. 

She yelped in pleasure and then smirked. “ _ Prince Vegeta _ , I’m yours to pleasure yourself with.”

She had him and she knew it. Hearing his formal title sent him into overdrive. “Oh, fuck, Bulma.  _ Yes _ .” He groaned, beginning to thrust deeply into her, slowly picking up speed. 

He rubbed her clit furiously, making her scream as she gripped the sheets tightly. Bulma pushed her ass as far into the air as she could manage to give him better access to her, and almost lost herself when he moaned into her skin. He slammed his hips into her one final time, and they both yelled as they climaxed. Vegeta pulled out of her noisily, admiring his fluids as they dripped out of her. Bulma mewed in satisfaction as her legs struggled to support her. She dragged herself into his bed and laid there as she caught her breath, and Vegeta fell back onto the bed next to her. 

Vegeta’s pager started buzzing and he groaned. “Damnit, we have to leave soon. I’m gonna go shower, I suggest you do the same. We don’t need to show up smelling like each other.” He stood back up and walked to his bathroom, unknowingly leaving behind a woman whose mind was now racing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, everyone’s been accounted for, Major.” Raditz reported. 

“Great. We’d better head out, then. Woman, are you ready to leave? Woman?” Vegeta’s eyes scanned the room in search of Bulma. 

“She’s asleep, ‘Geta. But she said she was ready to go. Boy, I’ve never seen Bulma so tired. She must have been working on something important!” Goku said. 

Vegeta forced himself not to smirk. “Alright, let's get going. I’ll be in my bunk taking a short nap. Wake me if it’s important.”

The men nodded in understanding. “Yes, Major.” They answered collectively. 

Raditz, Tarble, Nappa, Goku, Turles, and Toma were playing cards when they heard Bulma softly treading into the room roughly three hours later. Her hair was messy and knotted, but she looked well rested. “Hi, guys.” She yawned and stretched. “Where’s the Major?”

Raditz and Nappa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. 

“He’s still resting. He also decided to nap, Miss Briefs.” Tarble said. 

“Ah, okay, I was going to ask him to go over our game plan but it can wait until he wakes up.He said something about me luring Cooler to you guys.”

Raditz and Nappa quickly lost interest when they realized it was about the mission.

“I’m gonna go shower...um..where is the shower?” Bulma blinked, realizing she had no idea where the shower was on the large ship.

“It’s at the end of the same corridor where your room is.” Raditz pointed. 

“Ah, okay, thanks Raddy.” Bulma smiled warmly. 

“Wait, Raditz gets a nickname? We want nicknames too!” Nappa said.

Bulma chuckled. “Okay, let’s see. Raddy, Tarbs, Naps, Les, and Tomes. How’s that?”

“Perfect.” Raditz said, laughing. 

“Why doesn’t Goku get a nickname?” Toma asked. 

“His real name is Kakarot. Goku is already his nickname.” Raditz and Nappa answered. 

“Alright guys, time for this girl to shower. See ya in a bit.” Bulma turned and headed toward the bathroom but stopped short when she saw the light already on, though the door was open. “Hello?” She peaked around the corner and saw Vegeta flossing his teeth. “Oh! Sorry, Major.”

He finished flossing. “Vegeta. Remember?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Um, are you finished in here?” Bulma asked. 

“Yeah, it’s all yours.” Vegeta said, stepping past her and walking back down the corridor.

Bulma felt the lump of disappointment in her throat as she stepped into the bathroom, pushing the door closed with her foot. She turned the shower on, shed her clothes, and stepped in, still thinking about the Saiyan Prince. 

“Alright, maggots. Where are we as far as travel?” Vegeta asked. 

“We still have three weeks to go, Major.” Nappa answered.

“O-oh uh, right. Forgot about that. Alright. Well, I’m going to have to talk about strategies with the woman since she’s going to be helping out with our operation, so if you need either of us, that’s where we’ll be.” Vegeta said.

“Oh, I think she’s in the shower right now, Geta.” Raditz answered.

“Correct, I mean once she’s made herself decent. I’ll be in my quarters, send her that way when she’s finished.” Vegeta said, adjusting his gloves and spinning on his heel to walk back to his room.

“Should we ready the conference room?” Nappa called.

“Obviously.” Vegeta called back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma walked back to the main area all the Saiyans had gathered looking refreshed and stylish as always. 

“Hey, Bulma, Vegeta said to send you to his room to get him because he needs to brief you on your strategy for Cooler.” Raditz said.

Bulma’s face turned crimson. “H-His room? What on earth do I need to do in there!? What are you trying to imply!” Bulma sputtered.

Raditz looked back at her with confusion. “I was going to say we got the conference room prepared for your meeting.”

Bulma sighed deeply. They didn’t know, not yet anyway. But what exactly was it that she was afraid for them to know? That she’d had her brains fucked out by their Major? She supposed it was that and perhaps unintentionally giving away the fact that she liked Vegeta a little more than just a guy who made her feel good physically. Not that she’d ever admit to something so ridiculous. She cleared her throat. “Alright, thanks.”

Her footsteps lightly echoed throughout the corridor until she reached the door that was labeled “Major’s Quarters” and knocked gently. The door swung open and there stood Vegeta, looking well rested. 

“The conference room has been prepared for the meeting.” He said, stepping past her and closing the door behind him. 

The two walked silently to the conference room which was on the other side of the ship for no logical reason, at least, not one Bulma could think of other than perhaps it was away from the area where Saiyans might be rowdy and boisterous. Vegeta held the glass door of the conference room open for her, and Bulma stepped in, looking around at the surprisingly tasteful architecture of the room. It was decorated in a tasteful black and white design with pops of red accents here and there to give it a classic aesthetic that would be pleasing to almost anyone. The large oval shaped conference table was black marble and had stacks of files on it. Vegeta picked one up and slid it over to Bulma’s side of the table as she sat down.

“So, if you’ll open the dossier in front of you, you’ll find most of the intel we have on Cooler. We know he’s got incredibly violent tendencies, he has a weakness for beautiful women, and though his father, King Cold, and younger brother, Frieza, both have high expectations of him, he likes to vacation. He’s probably the laziest of the Ice Clan. He singlehanded disgraced the most recent event the Ice Clan held, and his antics released thousands of prisoners that were under Frieza’s command. Needless to say, Frieza was livid and they’ve now put some sort of weird familial bounty on Cooler’s head.” Vegeta said, his voice reverberating through the weirdly aesthetic conference room. 

“What do you mean ‘familial bounty’?” Bulma asked, crinkling her nose at the odd phrase.

“As in his own family wants to find him and capture him. As far as what they want to do with him once they find him, we don’t know. But we’d like to get to him first, and try to either trade him to the Ice Clan, or make him work for us instead and tell us all about them.” The prince answered, folding his hands behind his back. 

“I see, so my job is to lower his guard, correct? Get him to be chummy with me and see if I can get info out of him until you guys bust in and grab him?” Bulma asked. 

“Correct. As you’ll see on page 3, paragraph 5 of the mission instructions, there’s a special tablet we’ll give you. There will be two tablets and only one of them will be the drugged one to knock him out. The other one will be a placebo.” Vegeta answered. 

“Well, sounds good to me.” Bulma said, standing. She collected the files Vegeta had given to her to study and turned to head for the door. 

“Bulma. There is… one more thing.” Vegeta said, his voice softer now. 

“What’s on your mind, Major?” Bulma asked, her sparkly blue eyes looking at him. 

“If you’d like to practice techniques on how to seduce Cooler, I can volunteer to help you.” He said, a wicked smirk plastered across his lips. 

Bulma’s cheeks stained pink at the suggestion. She walked over to him until they were standing a breath apart. She smiled devilishly as she leaned in. “I think I’ll be just fine, Vegeta.” She kissed him and sauntered away. She wasn’t one to play nice, especially not when it came to Vegeta. “Good evening.” And she was gone. 

Vegeta clenched his fists in frustration, but not anger. She’d transcended his expectations for a woman, and a human woman at that. She was more than he’d bargained for and he still had no idea what she would do to him. 


	8. I Totally Don’t Have Feelings For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A LOT. That’s all I can say about this chapter. Hope you enjoy, and as always, give me feedback. ❤️

It had been a week and a half since they’d begun their trip to Titan, and Bulma was starting to lose her nerve. She’d been on a ship with a bunch of men, no tv, and no ability to communicate with her friends, Lazuli and ChiChi. Worst of all, there was no tech for her to tinker with, and her creative brain was screaming for a challenge. She paced around her room until finally deciding to step out and see if the men wanted to play 20 questions or something. “Hey guys what’s u-” She stopped talking when she saw the men all passed out in the command room, cards still in their hands. It was all they seemed to do to pass the time.   
  
“Don’t worry, you won’t wake those idiots.” A deep voice said.

Bulma turned to see Vegeta standing behind her, only wearing a towel. “How do they just never get bored of playing cards?”

“Well, aside from it being the only thing to really do when you’re on a trip like this, they share war stories and whatnot. It’s also been their way of life for a very long time.” The prince answered. “If you’re bored, we can watch a movie in the conference room.”

Bulma’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please. I’m sick of pacing around my room.”

“Good, we’re sick of hearing you pace and flop on your bed and groan.” He chuckled.

“You assholes! Don’t listen to what I do in the privacy of my room!” The heiress squealed. 

“Why? Are you afraid we might hear you doing something… embarrassing?” Vegeta raised an eyebrow, daring her to give herself away. 

“I haven’t the slightest idea of what you mean.” Bulma glared a hole straight through the smug Major. “Besides, it’s perverted to think about someone that way.” She smirked. 

“Perverted? After what we’ve done to each other? Hardly.” Vegeta laughed, turning to walk back to his room with the flustered scientist on his heels. 

“You have some nerve trying to seduce me in such a compromising setting, Major.” Bulma half whispered, half yelled. 

“Why are you whispering? I told you they aren’t going to hear you.” Vegeta quipped, stepping into his room, Bulma still following him.

Bulma frowned. The fact of the matter was that she had somehow felt something more than just lust for her boss. She found herself enjoying every verbal sparring session with him, and wanting to continue after he’d exited the conversation. Did he feel the same? She wasn’t going to ask. 

“Something the matter?” Vegeta was close to her, his deep onyx eyes staring into her sapphire eyes. 

“No, why?”

“You’re frowning. You only do that when you’re deep in thought about something. So, what’s bothering you?”  
Damn him. He was as sharp as he was annoying. He never, to Bulma’s knowledge, expressed concern for something of this nature, so she decided to answer him, even if not completely truthfully. “I just have a lot on my mind right n-”

“You’re not being honest with me.” Vegeta said firmly. 

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Stop looking so deeply into it. It really is just a lot on my mind, Vegeta.”

He obviously wasn’t convinced, but he seemed to let it go. “Well. Perhaps there is something that could ease your mind a bit?”  
Bulma crossed her arms. “And what might you suggest?”

The prince closed the space between them, his hands finding purchase on her hips as his lips locked with hers. Bulma sighed contentedly into his mouth as their lips parted and she felt his hands slide up and pull her flush against him. They were both somewhat intoxicated by the sensations of each other’s skin until Vegeta abruptly pulled away. His eyes searched hers before he spoke slowly. 

“Saiyans have the ability to… kind of read emotion through sent.” 

Bulma started sweating, worried he’d figured out what was going through her head. 

“And you smell like you’d enjoy being pinned down on my bed.” He smirked devilishly.

She screamed internally out of excitement and relief. He untied the towel around his waist, letting it fall to the floor. He scooped her up by hooking his hands under the backs of her knees and carried her to his bed. Just as he dropped her down, there was a soft knock on the door. Without seeming concerned, Vegeta called out. “What is it, Raditz?” His hands began unbuttoning Bulma’s jeans while she lay silently on her back.

Raditz stood groggily outside of the room, stifling a yawn as he answered the Major. “I’m just informing you that we are all heading to our rooms for proper sleep, sir.”

“Affirmative. Sleep well, asshole.” Vegeta answered, sliding his hands up the heiress’ stomach, taking her shirt with them.  
Raditz walked away and Vegeta smirked before lowering his mouth to her stomach and pressing hot kisses to her skin. 

“V-Vegeta…” Bulma said breathlessly. 

Vegeta purred into her skin as his tongue did circles on her skin. 

She gently pushed him back and sat up to meet his gaze. His eyes were lit with hunger for her. “Vegeta…” She said again.

“What is it?” He asked softly. 

She bit her bottom lip. She wanted to see what he thought of the situation between them. Did he have genuine feelings for her? Instead, she grabbed his face and frenched him. Now wasn’t the time to have that conversation, and she wasn’t going to miss out on having his body move with hers in their own delicious rhythm because her logical brain wanted to figure out the puzzle they were in. They gave in to their carnal desires until they both collapsed. 

Vegeta panted softly next to Bulma, both spent. “Woman.”

“Yes, Vegeta?” She turned her head and looked at him with bright blue eyes that glimmered with something Vegeta had never seen before. Not directed at himself, anyway. In her eyes, he saw what seemed awfully similar to love, or at least admiration. He froze for a moment before slowly going on to say what was on his mind. He pronounced each syllable as if he were speaking a foreign language. 

“What is it that you seek?” Vegeta asked. 

Bulma blinked, confused as to what the hell he was talking about. “Like, in general, or…?” 

Vegeta shook his head. “From a mate.”

Bulma’s cheeks turned pink. “Oh. Well, I suppose just someone to talk to. Someone who listens. Someone who, rather than trying to protect my feelings, they just tell me the truth, whether it’s butt ugly or not. Someone who likes to be around me. Someone who won’t shove their tongue down another woman’s throat.”

“I see. Did you not get that from the beta male? I know you often caught him staring at other women, but it only ever mildly annoyed you. Saiyan women have killed for less.” Vegeta chuckled, laying his head back on the pillow.

Bulma chuckled as well. “I think men fail to realize why things like that can be bothersome. It’s not that I ever expected Yamcha to go out and fuck these women that he stared after, even though I probably should have since that’s what he did. No, the reason that irked me was because it was always women who look nothing like me. It always put this thought in my head like ‘Am I really what he thinks is attractive? Do I need to change my appearance to be what he finds sexy?’ But the thing is, that doesn’t even make sense! Why would he have started dating me if he didn’t find me attractive in the first place? I just can’t seem to get my brain to stop thinking that way, you know?” Bulma spoke comfortably, gesturing with her hands and expressing emotion through her face. Vegeta had never realized how animated she was when she was talking about something that mattered to her. Not until now, at least. 

“Well, everyone admires others’ beauty. Be it men admiring women, or other men, and vice versa. The thing you have to remind yourself of is that just because someone admires beauty does not mean that they consider your beauty any less vibrant. It doesn’t have anything to do with loving you or not loving you. Granted, he could have been more subtle about it for sure, instead of gawking like a thirsty dog, but nevertheless, it’s normal. It’s abnormal when it becomes cheating, though. I understand why you were and are still hurt.” Vegeta spoke, eyes staring at the ceiling to avoid her gaze. He knew exactly how she’d be looking at him. Surprised. Shocked. Intrigued at the fact that he’d said more than a few words about something like emotions. To her, no less. 

“It’s just hard after someone has hurt you. I mean, I don’t even like talking about it, lest I feel weak.” Bulma admitted, trying to force hot, stubborn, angry tears out of her eyes by blinking and rolling them back. 

“Woman.” 

Bulma looked at him, his eyes now locked onto her face. “Yes?”

“Often the best thing for you is right under your nose. You just have to wait for it to present itself to you when it’s ready. It may not seem like it now, but you will find someone who matters. Perhaps they will be on Titan, even.” Vegeta said. 

Bulma raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess. I-”

Vegeta pressed his mouth to hers, this time softly. His lips slowly worked hers in a warm kiss. He pulled away slowly, looked at her, and turned over to turn the light off. “We should rest.”

Bulma started to get out of the bed to head to her own room, familiar with the send off words that prohibited sleepovers, but felt his strong hand grab her arm.

“I said we.”

Bulma bit her lip. “Are you sure?”

There was silence before finally an answer. “Well I’m just keeping you from the embarrassment of being caught leaving my room looking disheveled.”

Bulma smiled. “Thank you, Prince Vegeta.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Vegeta opened his eyes, his arm was wrapped possessively around the woman’s waist as she lay with her back to him. Her back was pressed against his chest, and his face began to burn red as he realized they were in a rather intimate position. Vegeta did his best to unwrap his arm from her as quickly and quietly as he could. He could not get attached to her. His only priority was being a warrior and having any sort of emotional bond with anyone meant weakness. He’d have to be cold to her. This would ensure she didn’t get attached either. But how cold was too cold? He still wanted to engage in the occasional night of passion with her, but as far as being emotionally attached in any way, Vegeta wanted no part of it. He’d already let himself get far too close to the blue devil woman. He went to the bathroom attached to his room and showered. When he stepped out, Bulma was waking up, rubbing her eyes. She smiled warmly at him and something in his chest pinged. 

“Morning. Did I sleep in too late? Is it still safe to leave?” Bulma joked. 

“It is now safe for you to leave, and I think it would be good if you did. For both of our sakes.” Vegeta said in a matter of fact tone. 

“Oh, um, okay. I’ll head on out then.” Bulma said, the smile slightly falling from her lips, replaced with confusion and… disappointment? 

Vegeta sighed deeply. “It’s just because I have some work I need to get done and I’d like to be alone in here to prepare for the conference calls that will take place later today.” 

“Oh! Right, got you, I’ll hurry out of your way then!” Bulma said, the smile returning to her lips even more than before. “Bye.” She walked over and planted a soft kiss on his chin. 

Vegeta hated himself as he grabbed her shoulders and the words fell from his lips. “We are just casual friends who exchange carnal desires, Bulma. Nothing more. I need you to know that.”

Bulma’s eyes threatened to fill with tears, so instead she frowned fiercely at him. “Of course I know that, why else would you really be kicking me out of your room?” She huffed, grabbed her clothes and stormed out of his room, slamming the door dramatically. 

The Saiyan Prince cringed as the woman left the room. Why, though? Why did he care? She was nothing but his landlord. He needed to keep it that way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma sat on her bed wiping the tears that wouldn’t stop rolling down her face. She tried to take some breaths, but found herself seemingly gasping for air as her body shook from the disappointment. She’d had a rush of emotion hit her when he’d been cold to her, and she couldn’t help but be upset. She cursed herself as she realized she’d essentially done this to herself. A foolish young woman getting herself into foolish young woman situations. How could she have fallen so quickly for a man she barely knows? A man she’s only ever had sex with. She hated herself for getting attached, and now she had to begin the process of ripping her feelings about him out of her system. She wiped her face a final time, demanding that the tears stop flowing. They did. She stood up, grabbed a pink capsule, opened it up, and got to work. 

Raditz yawned obnoxiously as he dragged himself out of bed and walked out of his room. His eyes that had been groggy and squinted suddenly widened and his pupils dilated. What was that smell?

Whatever it was, it was delicious. Raditz’ mouth began to salivate as he headed toward the smell’s source, quickly noticing the other Saiyans joining him and found themselves in the kitchen of the ship.

There, wearing a hot pink tank top that was stretched to death across her large breasts, and a crisp white apron that hung lower than her black booty shorts, Bulma danced to the music that blasted in her headphones as she cooked eggs, bacon, and sausage. On the counter was a toaster already toasting some bread, and jam open and ready to go. She shook her hips and hummed to herself as the music went on. The Saiyan men tried (not really) not to stare. Turles grinned from ear to ear as his eyes focused on her backside shaking back and forth. While the men gawked at her, Bulma had pulled out an earbud.

“So you guys just gonna stand there and stare, or are you gonna have a seat in front of your plates and have breakfast?” She asked, still not turning to look at them. 

All six of them turned red in embarrassment and quickly sat down at the counter where there were tall bar stools and big round plates ready to be filled with food.   
When Bulma turned around, she flashed a dazzling smile. “Good morning guys. Here you go Tarbs, and Raddy. Les, I know you like sweet things so here’s two slices of toast with extra jam. Nappa I know you’ll need more protein since you’re such a big guy, here’s some extra eggs and a few extra pieces of sausage. Goku, here’s a bunch of everything since I know you’ve got such a healthy appetite.” Bulma smiled at each of them again. “Do you guys want some orange juice?”

“YES.” Came the enthusiastic and unanimous answer. 

They all started chowing down and talking among themselves when Vegeta walked in. The look on his face when he saw Bulma cooking for the men while wearing such a revealing outfit made him panic internally. He didn’t like this feeling. 

“Hungry, Major?” Bulma asked, smiling sweetly. Or so it seemed. But the prince was no fool. He knew exactly what that look on her face was. That was a plastered on smile with rage hidden deep beneath it. It was a game, and he was never one to back down from a challenge. 

“Starving.” He answered. 

Bulma, expecting him to say no, smiled even bigger as her eyebrow twitched in irritation. “Sure thing.” She turned around and began cooking. The other men shifted uncomfortably in their seats. 

“B-Bulma may I have some more eggs?” Raditz and Tarble asked at the same time. Their voices were quiet.

Bulma turned around and smiled warmly at them, making them relax. “Of course you can, anyone else? Do you want something more besides eggs? We have plenty.” 

Everyone made their requests and Bulma smiled and nodded. She served each of them, still humming, and then slapped Vegeta’s food onto his place carelessly, splattering grease onto him shirt. The other men’s eyes widened but they said nothing as they watched the silent battle of will take place in front of them. 

Vegeta set his jaw, but remained calm as he ate the food on his plate. 

“How is everything, guys?” Bulma asked, cheerfully leaning her elbows on the counter and propping her chin on the backs of her laced fingers. 

“Delicious!” Raditz said. 

“It’s good but it makes me miss ChiChi!” Goku laughed. 

“Excellent!” Nappa, Turles, and Toma all gave a thumbs up with cheesy smiles. 

“Wonderful, thank you Bulma.” Tarble said warmly.

“It's not your mother’s cooking, but it’ll do.” Vegeta said flippantly. 

Bulma’s eyes lit up with rage and the men cringed as they prepared for her to start screeching. Instead, she quickly had an amused look on her face. “I suppose that makes sense for a man who is worthless in the kitchen and can’t seem to find a woman for himself. He can only cope with a mother’s love.” She flipped her hair and picked up a small remote that quickly had three cleaning bots fly into the kitchen to clean up after her. “Well, catch ya later boys. I’m going to work out.” Bulma sauntered away, sashaying her hips in case Vegeta was watching. 

Vegeta was watching. And he hated that she could get under his skin. It didn’t matter, though, soon they’d be on their mission and watching Bulma away from him would help get his mind clear again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t long before they landed on Titan. They had flown in a ship that had formerly looked like a battle squad ship, but had been decorated to look touristy. Like it had been long forgotten by its original owners, and the people inside had found it and wanted it for their own. This ensured they wouldn’t raise any eyebrows as they landed on the now tropical paradise vacation spot. 

The men all got out casual clothing, and waited on Bulma to appear. When she finally did, their jaws collectively dropped. She wore a see-through crop top over a white bikini that just barely covered her nipples, and a high cut thong bikini bottom letting her porcelain skin show. She wore jeweled sandals and her hair was up in a messy bun atop her head. The sunglasses on her face were oversized and glamorous, and the beach bag on her shoulder gave the perfect pop of color in bright red. Vegeta found himself struggling with the idea of her being seen by other men dressed like this, but he’d be damned if he spoke up and said anything. 

“Alright boys, I’ll let you know when I have contact with Cooler.” She lowered her sunglasses to look at all of them. “You ready, Tarble?”   
The younger prince nodded. The plan was for Bulma and Tarble to pose as a couple. Bulma would suddenly get separated from Tarble when she happened to run into Cooler, and would seduce him into saving her from her “boring boyfriend”. 

“Yes Bulma. Let’s g-“

“Actually, Bulma. I’ll be taking Tarble’s place.” Vegeta said. 

The men all looked at Vegeta with a shocked expression. 

“But Major y-“

“I said I’ll be taking his place, Raditz.” Vegeta’s voice boomed. 

Raditz lowered his head in submission. 

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Whatever, we need to hurry up and go.” Bulma stopped as she turned around. “Doesn’t Cooler know what you look like?” Bulma asked, turning to face the prince again. 

“He doesn’t. He only knows what Paragus looks like.” Vegeta answered, adjusting his button up tropical shirt as he hooked his arm in Bulma’s walking her out of the ship. “We need to look like a couple.” 

“Yeah, alright.” Bulma said sarcastically. 

“Can you grow up? This is a serious mission. Put your personal feelings to the side for once, woman.” Vegeta rolled his eyes.  
Bulma looked at him with eyes he hadn’t seen before. Shock. She ripped her arm from his. “I can do my part without you. Fuck off.” She said as she walked away. 

Vegeta stood by himself, processing what had just happened. It wasn’t often that Vegeta was speechless, but in that moment, he found himself at a loss. He was fucking up, and he knew it. He wasn’t trying to hurt Bulma, he was trying to protect her. Protect them both. He knew no good would come from either of them growing attached. He had to cut the cord of feelings before it became strong. He sighed heavily as he started trudging onward after her. 

Bulma was sitting at a bar by herself, sipping a bright green drink garnished with some alien fruit Vegeta could only compare to an earth lemon. The drink did look tasty, and seemed refreshing in the heat of the day. It was a hot summer day on Titan, and everyone around them wore swimming clothes, and tropical patterns. The sand felt nothing like earthen sand, it was much softer. Powdery, even.

Pretty much what you’d expect moon sand to feel like, Vegeta thought to himself. 

“Bulma...” Vegeta said softly. 

She looked at him, her gaze sharp and critical. It analyzed his face, seemingly searching for any hint of deception. But they found none. Vegeta’s face was covered in sincerity. “Yes?”  
Vegeta took a deep breath. “I am sorry for upsetting you, for the way I said what I did. My intention was not to hurt you, rather to just get you to focus. Whatever issues may be between us, we can work them out when we are safe and have secured our goal. Can we do that?” 

The blue eyed woman seemed to weigh her options as she took another generous swig from her drink. She licked her lips slowly, deliberating on her response to his request. “We can.” She answered. 

Vegeta nodded and gave her a smirk of satisfaction. He was pleased that he’d been able to somewhat calm her down, and apologize without further infuriating her. 

“So, boyfriend, what are we going to do?” Bulma said the word mockingly, an amused smile spreading across her lips.

  
Vegeta shrugged. “There’s no rush, otherwise it would be unnatural. We can relax for now.” 

  
Bulma smiled. “Excellent. Follow me.” She stood up and made a beeline for the shore where there was a nice spot open for two lounge chairs for them both to lay in the sun. Bulma dropped a capsule and out popped the chairs and an umbrella. She quickly laid on her back and took the crop top off. Vegeta felt himself cringe as other male bipedals walked by, gawking at her nearly exposed breasts and her supple legs. She lowered her sunglasses over her eyes and exhaled deeply as she began relaxing. A ritual she seemed exceptionally versed in. Vegeta almost wished he could be good at relaxing. Instead he laid in the chair next to her, eyes closed, but more alert than ever. A few hours had passed by when Vegeta’s eyes suddenly opened. He stood up and grabbed a camera out of a green humanoid alien’s hand.

  
“I presume you did not get consent for these photos. Is that correct you fucking worm?” Vegeta asked, his grip around the creature’s wrist slowly and painfully tightening. The commotion woke Bulma who’d fallen asleep. 

  
“What’s going on?” She asked, slowly becoming more awake. 

  
“This gentleman was taking photos of you. Photos I don’t think you’d like being taken without permission.” Vegeta said, snapping the creature's wrist. It cried out in pain, begging the Saiyan to release his grip. Vegeta crushed the camera in his other hand. And shoved the pieces into the creature’s pocket. “Now fuck off before I finish the pain I started.”   
The creature screamed as Vegeta released his grip and ran as fast as its two lanky legs could carry it.

  
Bulma stood and looked at Vegeta. “Let’s go get a hotel room so we can both rest without weirdos doing that.” He nodded and quietly followed her to the hotel check in and then to the room. Bulma had requested a two bed suite, but they’d only had one bed suites available. Vegeta had shrugged when Bulma asked if he cared. They stepped into the room and Bulma threw her bags on the floor and went to the bathroom to shower. Vegeta laid on the left side of the bed, his head propped up on pillows and his hands folded over his stomach. When Bulma came out of the bathroom wearing pajamas, she saw him and thought he was asleep. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to reason with herself before she tiptoed over to him. He remained motionless except for the easy rise and fall of his chest. Bulma leaned forward and kissed him softly on the forehead and whispered to herself mostly. “I wish you wouldn’t push me away, but I won’t force anything on you.” She stood back up and climbed into her side of the bed facing away from him, totally unaware he’d heard every word.


	9. A New Challenger Approaches!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my, whatever will our beloved Prince do now? Teehee, I wonder how mad you'll all be. Don't be too mad, though, you might like this new challenger more than you think ;) What will BULMA do now?? Decisions, decisions. >:)
> 
> Lemme know in the comments who you like better!  
(Vegeta is still my fav boy dw, he's just bein' a butt rn)
> 
> I love making the readers mad now! LOL I hope you'll forgive me! Mwah! Love you!

Bulma stretched, eyes still closed, hair pressed against her face from 8 blissful hours of surprisingly peaceful sleep. When her hand fell, it landed on a hard, warm surface. Her eyes opened and she quickly turned to look to her left. There, lying next to her, was Vegeta, now awake and looking at her. 

“Something wrong?” He asked. 

“N-no you’re just… You’re still here.” Bulma answered. 

“Where would I go? We’re undercover and we’re supposed to be a couple on vacation.” Vegeta said, closing his eyes again.

Bulma refrained from telling him to bite it, knowing he was right. This didn’t mean anything, he was just working. She sighed. “Yeah, true. Well, I’m gonna get ready. It’s 10, we might as well get some breakfast and then hit the beach again. See if we can find a party. If I were Cooler, I’d be at all the hot spots where I could blend into a large crowd.” Bulma said, flipping the covers open and sliding out of bed. When Vegeta didn’t say anything, she took her top off and threw it at his face. “That means you too. Get out of bed and get ready. Go shower.” She walked over to the suitcase that she’d popped out of a capsule and pulled out a royal blue bikini. It had gold beads and designs on it. Vegeta bit his lip when he saw the colors. Those were the colors of his battle suit, and damn, did they look nice against that porcelain skin of hers. 

“Hurry up and get ready, Vegeta. Seriously. I’m starving.” Bulma clutched her stomach. 

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, woman.” He walked to the bathroom and started the shower. 

It wasn’t long before Vegeta was ready to go and walking out the door of their hotel room wearing red swim trunks and a red tropical print button up shirt. Bulma, dressed to catch eyes, walked ahead of him. Her hips swayed as she walked, and Vegeta almost suspected she was doing it on purpose. He was almost caught staring when Bulma suddenly looked back at him, her hair swishing around. Her hair had grown out past her shoulders since they’d met and Vegeta had enjoyed the length of her hair during their sexual encounters. 

“What is it, woman?” Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow as he caught up to her. 

Bulma grabbed his arm and pressed it to her breasts. “We’re supposed to be a couple.” She whispered. Her face suddenly turned cheerful and flirty as she looked at him. “Well, let’s go get some breakfast.” She winked at him and pulled him to the dining area of the hotel where they each got plates of food, Vegeta’s plate towering with food and causing people to stare. “My hunky man sure loves to eat!” Bulma beamed at him. 

They are without too much chit chat, and Bulma was spearing some fruit with her fork when she felt Vegeta’s foot hook around the back of her leg like he did when they were having breakfast at Capsule Corp. She looked up to see him avoiding eye contact, his gaze locked on something out the window. She smiled and continued eating for a while before returning the gesture and causing Vegeta to steal and glance at her from the corner of his eyes. Once she finished eating, she stood up and broke their contact as she went to put her dishes at the dishwasher window. When she came back, she smiled at Vegeta. “Let’s go.” 

Vegeta reluctantly followed her, knowing she’d notice what he’d been staring at, and thus meaning she’d have to begin her part of the mission. 

Bulma did just as Vegeta knew she would, and spotted Cooler immediately. “Look! He’s walking into that party over there. Let’s go.” She grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his and dragging him to the dance floor. Once they were in the crowd, Bulma let go of his hand and began dancing somewhat on her own. Vegeta stood still in the crowd, a statue amidst a current. His eyes caught every glance that the men around her kept shooting her way. Their eyes drank up her form as she swayed her hips and shook her ass. He clenched his fists when he saw Cooler’s gaze lock onto Bulma with extreme interest. Before Vegeta knew what he was doing, she was in his arms. He pulled her flush against his chest and began swaying expertly with her to the Latin feeling groove blasting from the sound system. Her eyes were wide with shock as he took the lead and slid his hand down her back and pressed her even closer so they were moving as one. She gasped at the contact, and again when he dipped her and spun her around so they were dancing back to chest. His hands gripped her hips as he kept her moving with him, the men around them staring with jealousy now. He smirked to himself as he reached around to firmly put his hand on her stomach and felt her hands slide into his. She spun around pressed herself against him, letting him feel the heat working up between them. She smiled at him with approval and pressed her hand to the nape of his neck, pulling his face closer so she could speak into his ear. “Cooler has noticed. Now would be a good time for me to get a drink and ‘get lost’. I have a tracker in my earrings.” She pulled away and wiped the sweat from her forehead before giving Vegeta a saucy wink and sauntering over to the bar to order Titan’s version of a margarita. It was much stronger than the ones on earth, but Bulma sucked it down nonetheless. As she gently swayed her hips to the music, she heard a chillingly deep voice speak behind her. 

“You’re quite the dancer, miss.” 

Bulma turned to see Cooler. His purple skin was almost glowing in the neon lighting of the club. She flashed a well rehearsed smile. 

“Why thank you.” She said. “And who might you be?”

Vegeta and the rest of the squad listened to their conversation, Vegeta having already disappeared back to be with the squad and be ready for the ambush. 

“My name is Lord Cooler.” He smiled, flashing unnaturally white teeth that were a stark contrast to his purple flesh. 

Bulma fixed her gaze into a flirtier one. “I see. Nice to meet you,  _ Lord  _ Cooler.” 

Cooler waved at the bartender who quickly shuffled away to get a drink for the frightening lizardesque being. “You’re even more gorgeous up close. Weren’t you with someone?” He stepped a bit closer. 

Bulma chuckled. “Yes, my  _ boyfriend _ .” She made air quotes around the word. “He has a habit of wandering off to chase skirts so, I just do whatever pleases me.” She flipped her hair. 

Cooler smirked as the bartender slid his drink down the bar and into his hand. He picked it up, swirled it around, and took a generous pull from the short glass, and set it back down. “So, would you say you’d be interested in dancing with someone new?” Cooler’s expression turned lust filled as his eyes roamed her chest. 

Bulma cleared her throat as she held the straw to her lips to finish off her frozen margarita. His eyes shot back up to her face. “I might be interested. Let’s see if you can keep up.” Bulma winked, her signature move, as she set the large margarita glass down and sashayed her way back to the dance floor. She ran her slender fingers through her hair to move it out of her face and she looked back over her shoulder at Cooler with the best come hither eyes she could manage. 

He took the bait more than willingly. As she moved with the music, Cooler moved in quickly and soon had his hands on her hips as she softly grinned against him, hoping it would be enticing to his species. Bulma usually would have done extensive read watch on another creature’s anatomy, but if she was completely honest, she wasn’t really sure she  _ wanted _ to know how to really turn the space lizard on. He responded well, though, gripping her a little tighter. 

The Saiyans back on the ship watched through the club camera live feed. Tarble was particularly talented in technology, and was easily able to hack into the feed to keep an eye on Bulma and Cooler. The other men took notes as they began figuring out their plan on when to swoop in and how much time they should allow Bulma to have with Cooler in order to establish trust. Vegeta watched Cooler’s hands roam Bulma’s curves, and absentmindedly clenched his fists as he watched. 

“You’d make an ethereal queen. What’s your name? I must know.” Cooler spoke with a silver tongue in the heiress’ ear and he pulled her close. 

Bulma blushed at his words. “It’s Bulma.” 

“A unique name for the rarest gem in the universe. How fitting.” Cooler said, spinning Bulma in a heated spin, his hand planting itself on the small of her back. 

Bulma and Cooler were face to face, and while Bulma couldn’t say she was  _ attracted _ to Cooler, he definitely wasn’t bad looking, and he had a way with his words. It was easy for her to play her part. 

“A silver tongue may devour the souls of the weak, but a sharp mind will slice it off like the sword of a skilled warrior.” Bulma said, quoting a writer she loved. 

“My, my, and intelligent? I might just have to sweep you off your feet and away from this boyfriend of yours.” Cooler said, impressed. 

The song ended and they headed to the exit of the club. When they stepped out, it was sunset. 

“I don’t understand what all this worthless chatter is for. We can go get him  _ now _ .” Vegeta said, his voice sounding far more agitated than he realized. 

Tarble was occupied with monitoring Bulma, so he didn’t notice. But the other saiyans did. 

Goku did his best to offer reassuring words to the distressed major. “Vegeta, Bulma is smart and she also isn’t easily swayed by a guy like Cooler. Everything will be fine.” He patted a reassuring hand to Vegeta’s shoulder, and to his surprise, Vegeta didn’t shrug it off. Instead, he looked at Goku and nodded curtly. 

“I hope you’re right, Kakarot.” 

“I’ve known Bulma for my entire life. It’ll all work out.” Goku said, before rejoining the conversation with Raditz, Toma, Turles, and Nappa. 

Bulma walked with Cooler to the hotel she was staying at and stood at the entrance to bid him goodnight. “What kind of lady lets some man into her bed without earning it?” Bulma flashed a dazzling smile. 

Cooler nodded. “Of course, my queen. Have a lovely evening. And perhaps I’ll see you again.” Cooler stepped closer, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles with an almost over exaggerated regality to the gesture. 

Bulma took her hand from his when he stepped away and smiled warmly at him as she turned and walked into the hotel. Bulma sighed once she knew she was for sure out of Cooler’s sight. Her shoulders slumped and she took off her shoes and she walked down the hall and towards the pool. She saw the hot tub unoccupied and running, and decided to rest her aching body from all the dancing she did. It was quiet and for the first time that day, Bulma was alone with her thoughts and had time to think about the way Vegeta had danced with her. It was possessive and heated. She was sure the heat radiating off his body was different from his natural Saiyan body’s high temperature. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt a change in the air, and gasped when she opened her eyes and saw Vegeta standing on the pool deck next the her. 

“You startled me! Kami, I should put a bell on you or something.” Bulma said, pressing her hand to her chest in a display of shock. 

Vegeta cleared his throat. “So, did you have a nice time with Cooler?” 

The question was odd. Out of place in every way for Vegeta to ask. What was it to him? He knew this was a mission, he knew it wasn’t like Bulma had been vacationing and had casually run into Cooler. So why? Why had he asked such an asinine question? 

“I had fun dancing, it didn’t really have anything to do with him, though.” Bulma shrugged. 

Vegeta unbuttoned his shirt slowly as he spoke to her. “You seemed to really be enjoying yourself.” 

Bulma raised an eyebrow at him. “Like I said, I like to dance.”

Vegeta unfastened the last button and took his shirt off completely, tossing it into the pool deck, and neatly took off his sandals and stepped into the water, drawing close to Bulma until his hands were leaning on the edge of the hot tub, Bulma trapped between them. “You danced with him the way you danced with me.” Came the accusatory statement. 

Bulma crossed her arms. “ _ You _ pulled  _ me _ in, remember?” 

Vegeta moved closer. “You still moved with him so easily.” 

“And so what?” Bulma challenged. 

Vegeta bit back the response that threatened to shoot out of his lips.  _ So I don’t want another man touching you the way I have. _ “So I need to know if you’ve seduced him already so I can tell the team if they can move in soon or not.” 

Bulma’s disappointment was all over her face. “Not yet.” She answered dryly. 

Vegeta placed his hand at the nape of her neck. “Don’t seduce him  _ too _ well,  _ Bulma _ .” 

Her eyes shot up to meet his but his mouth was already on hers. She threw her arms around him and her body responded to his immediately. It wasn’t the familiarity between them that allowed Bulma to be so easily physical with Vegeta. She felt  _ safe _ . A feeling she’d been robbed of once upon a time. 

His hands slid down her body and softly gripped her thighs as she closed them around his waist. She moved her hips with his, and he sucked on her voluptuous bottom lip. It tasted of alcohol and suddenly Vegeta pulled back. 

Bulma looked at him, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes searching his. “What’s wrong?” 

“You’re intoxicated.” 

“Only a little, nothing too extreme.” Bulma smiled. 

“I’m not going to do this while you’re under the influence. You can’t give me consent while you’re drunk.” Vegeta pulled away. 

Bulma pouted at first, but then offered him a soft smile. “I’m just a casual friend, huh?” 

“I’d have the same amount of respect for anyone else, Bulma.” Vegeta answered seriously. 

Bulma sighed. “Well, we might as well go to bed then,” she stood up and purposely pulled the string to the top of her bikini so it would fall open and reveal her bare breasts to the prince. He gasped as he stood quickly to pull it back up. 

“What are you doing,  _ woman _ ?” He hissed, trying to re-tie the strings. 

“Trying to figure out why you pushed me away so fast. Do you not want me?” Her big blue eyes searched the black voids as they stared back at her. 

“What do you mean, ‘Do I not want you’?” Vegeta asked, scooping her up and carrying her to their room. 

“You don’t want to kiss me and hold me?” Bulma asked. 

“I was about to take you in a hot tub. What part of that tells you I don’t want you?” Vegeta looked down and could see the Titan alcohol was hitting her. Titan alcohol was much more pungent than what Earth had, but it hit the drinker much slower. Bulma was growing increasingly drunker as the moments passed. Though he knew now wasn’t the best time to try and reason with her, or take anything she said seriously, he found himself particularly bothered by what spilled from her lips next. 

“You’re only touching me now because you’re bored. You don’t want me.” Bulma whined. 

Vegeta was shocked. “You aren’t a means to cure boredom, Bulma. Boredom does not exist in a setting where you do.” 

Bulma scoffed. “Whatever.” 

“ ** _Bulma_ ** .” Vegeta’s voice was suddenly stern and the blue haired woman snapped her eyes to his. 

“What?” 

“Do not write off my words of reassurance. I’ve never been more serious in my life. You are not a means to cure boredom.” Vegeta said, his eyes focusing back on where he was going. 

Her eyes roamed his face. They found no trace of deception. “You pushed me away.” She said. 

Vegeta stopped walking. “Yes. I did.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I am a warrior, Bulma. My first and most pressing matter of business is to be a warrior. You are not the type of woman who should be second to anything.” Vegeta said matter-of-factly. He realized he could speak the truth to her now, and she’d never remember. “It has never been a matter of whether or not I want you. I want you more than I have ever wanted anything. You are the galaxy’s sharpest woman. The fiercest woman I have ever met. You have no fear of the things you should. You tower over those who could kill you in an instant with just your attitude alone. It’s only fair that you’re human, lest we all be doomed. You’re far too mighty of a being as you are, and it frightens me. It frightens me that I, Prince Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans, find myself tempted to bend at the knees for you. You have taken everything in my life and flipped it upside down, you blasted woman. I find myself completely thrown off balance by you because you are a force of nature. The gods of Vegetasei could never have prepared me for what was to come when you came into my view. There exists not a single being, nor entity, nor object in this universe that is drawn to anything as strongly as I am to you. Do not ever dare say that I don’t want you, woman. I have wanted you before I knew you existed. Before I knew I  _ could _ ever want another being.” Vegeta had passed through the halls and up the stairs (he didn’t care for elevators) to their room and gently set her on the bed. “Now, you must sleep so that you can help us secure our goal, Bulma.”

The heiress nodded and mumbled incoherently. “Yes yes…” She dozed off. 

Vegeta sighed deeply. If only those words he had said could have been said while Bulma was fully awake. But he knew that if she did know how strong his desire for her was, he would likely have to step away from benign a warrior. She’d want him around, and being a warrior usually meant the opposite. He’d really fucked himself over this time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Bulma woke to find herself in bed alone. She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there. She only remembered stepping into the hot tub last night, alone, but other than that, everything was a blur. She yawned and rubbed her eyes and checked the time on her phone. It was 8 AM? She couldn’t believe after getting blackout drunk that she’d woken up early and without a headache. Maybe that was another characteristic of Titan alcohol. Either way, she needed to figure out where Vegeta was so she could talk to him before continuing her mission with Cooler. She slid lazily out of bed and trudged over to the bathroom. Just as she was about to walk in, she heard a knock at the hotel room door, and she suspiciously walked over to it. 

“Who’s there?” Bulma asked, trying her best to sound firm and intimidating. 

“Miss Bulma, my name is Zachariah. I’m one of the hotel employees. I was asked to ensure you got this card?” A friendly voice said from the other side of the door. 

Bulma contemplated whether to trust the voice or not, but figured it would be safe since the Saiyans were still guarding her. She opened the door to see a handsome man with black hair and lime green highlights. His eyes were the same unnatural lime green color, and though his skin was the same color as Bulma’s, he had pearly white teeth and pointy canines. He wore the hotel’s uniform on his well toned body. He wasn’t particularly built the way Vegeta was, but he definitely took care of himself. He held out a card addressed to Bulma, who took the card and read the note that had been left for her by Vegeta. She recognized the sequence of numbers at the bottom of the card. 126ES, which was his room number on the ship they came to Titan on, and ES for “Elite Squad”. He was damn lucky she was so observant. The card simply told her that they’d be resuming surveillance, and that she was to go about her mission as normal. She looked back up at the hotel employee and flashed a warm smile. “Why thank you, Zachariah.” She showed her equally as pearly white teeth. 

Zachariah blushed. He’d never seen a woman with such blue eyes, nor such blue hair. “Is that your natural hair color and eye color?” He asked, seemingly forgetting his visit wasn’t meant to be a casual one. 

Bulma smiled. “Actually, yes. My father’s hair is lavender if you can believe it! It’s a weird genetic thing in my family, but I’m the only one with blue eyes in my family.” She tousled her hair so as to keep it from looking so messy in the presence of another person. 

“It’s quite beautiful, I don’t think that’s a weird genetic trait at all. I mean, look at me. I’m destined to a lifetime of being a punk rocker alien man just because my hair is black and green.” He chuckled. “Well, anyway, I’d better leave you to the rest of your day. Sorry to bother you, Miss Bulma.” He flashed another handsome smile in her direction. 

“Just Bulma, is fine.” She said, causing him to look back at her. 

“Zack, Zachary, Z, Riah. Whatever you’d like to call me as well, then, Bulma.” Zachariah said. 

Bulma beamed. “I think Z suits you.”

“I guess I’ll need a new nametag, then, huh?” Zachariah said. “Well, if you ever need anything, Bulma, please, do ask for me. I’m pretty much always here.”

“Don’t you ever go home?” Bulma asked. 

Z chuckled. “On Titan, everyday is supposed to be a vacation, and being that it’s my hotel, I allow myself to just live here.” He chuckled. 

“Y-you’re Zack Comet!?” Bulma blurted out.

“Haha, you caught me. Yes, that’s me.” Z shrugged. 

“Why in kami’s name would the hotel owner bring me a card? That’s a tad suspicious, don’t you think?” Bulma crossed her arms and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. 

Z laughed again. “You’re right, that is a rather odd coincidence, but I work just as often as my employees, and I wear the uniform like all of them do. Your husband saw my uniform and asked me to write out the card for you.” 

Bulma’s face turned red. “He’s definitely  _ not _ my husband.” Once she’d said that, she realized Z would likely ask more questions, and she had to come up with a cover story quickly. “Yeah, I know, a single bed for the two of us. See, I’m here spying on a client who stole some merchandise from me. Normally, I’d let it go, but it was a rather expensive piece of equipment, so you can see why I’d be so dead set on getting the money I am owed. The man rooming with me is here to help me collect, but he’s posing as a lover in case my target notices me. He’ll think we’re simply vacationing.” 

Z smiled. “Well, I do hope you’re able to collect what’s owed to you. Also it’s… rather pleasing to hear you aren’t married. Are you dating anyone, if I may be so bold as to ask?” Z stepped forward to lean his shoulder on the doorframe with his hands neatly tucked into his pockets. 

Bulma raised an eyebrow at him paired with a flirty smile. “Why do you want to know?” She flirted. 

“I’d like to humbly request your presence at a dinner with me, maybe tonight?” Z asked, playfulness twinkling in his green eyes. 

Bulma smiled. “Meet me back here at around 8 o’clock and  _ maybe _ you’ll find me dressed up and ready for a date.” 

Z flashed his canines. “I’ll see you at 8.”

He walked away and Bulma closed the door to her hotel room with blush spreading across her cheeks. She had a date, and she  _ had _ to tell someone. She grabbed the pager she always carried with her for her regular job and sent out a message for the Saiyan squad. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh shit… Looks like Bulma has a date tonight.” Raditz said as he checked the message sent out on the pager. “We’ll have the night off I guess.”

“Like hell she does. And like hell we do. Has everyone forgotten why the fuck we’re even here?” Vegeta growled. 

“Brother, I am certain Bulma will still fulfil her duties, and for all we know, this date may have something to do with getting close to Cooler. Have some faith.” Tarble said in an effort to calm the angry older prince. 

“Why are you so concerned about what Bulma does with another man, anyway, Major?” Turles asked, causing a hush to fall over the group. Turles knew he was challenging the Major, though he genuinely didn’t know the true reason that Vegeta was so angry. 

The prince grit his teeth as his eyes darted over to Turles. “ _ Why? You maggots want to know why I’m all up in arms about what Bulma does? Because this is on our time. This is our mission. We are relying on her to help us get this shit done, and instead she’s fucking around with other men. Why does she need other men giving her all this attention anyway? Aren’t we good enough to satisfy her socializing needs? _ ” Vegeta spoke with venom in his voice. 

“Aw, come on, Vegeta. You know Bulma likes to chat a lot, so it makes sense she’d need a lot of socializing. She was stuck on this ship with us for three weeks! Even  _ we _ get bored of it. Don’t be so hard on her!” Goku chirped. 

“You idiot!” Toma interjected. “Vegeta doesn’t care about that. He’s got shit to do. We all do. This  _ woman _ is getting in the way of us completing our mission and I’m pissed off too. She’s here to help us capture Cooler. Not some random dude. She can be a whore on her own time.” 

Vegeta’s eyes widened as he heard the word and in an instant, he was holding Toma up by the front of his armor, snarling in his face. “You trash, don’t you ever fucking call her that word ever again, or I’ll kill you myself. I’ll end you in the slowest way possible. How fucking dare you!” 

Nappa cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone, including Vegeta. He walked over and plopped a heavy hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Vegeta, I think it’s time you admit the truth.”

All of the other saiyans looked from Nappa back to Vegeta. “Major?” Toma asked, still dangling from Vegeta’s grip. 

Vegeta’s brows knitted together as he desperately tried to fight the blush threatening to rise to the surface of his cheeks. “Well, I…” 

He hesitated, totally ashamed of what he had to admit. He, the Prince of All Saiyans, heir to the Saiyan throne, a pure bred, and highly trained elite warrior and leader of the toughest, most skilled, and most lethal group of warriors, had fallen in love. And even more than that, he’d found himself unable to control his feelings. She was always spinning around in his head, her scent, her voice, her touch. All of it. He was her slave, and the worst part was that she didn’t even know.

“I’ve fallen for the woman.” Vegeta blurted out.

The men collectively gasped, and then… praised him? They all offered encouraging words. 

“Vegeta, that’s great! You gotta tell her!” Goku shouted excitedly. 

“Major, that’s a really special thing, you should be happy. It’s always hard for a Saiyan man to find a suitable mate, and you managed to find one that’s equal parts intelligent and beautiful. Not to mention mentally strong!” Raditz said. 

“Yeah, Major. Make her your own.” Turles said, crossing his arms with a cocky smile. 

“I can’t, you idiots.” Vegeta snapped.

The men all stood in silence waiting for the explanation. 

“I… I have already had my chance with her. I ruined it.” Vegeta said. “We… have already been intimate with one another… many times. The issue is that I have pushed her away in order to maintain my loyalty to being a warrior. Now I can’t focus, or sleep, or do anything without her buzzing around in my subconscious with her whispers of how she wished I wouldn’t push her away.” Vegeta said, his chest starting to hurt. 

Tarble walked over to his brother who had finally let go of Toma, setting him back on his feet and being too distracted by his emotional anguish to notice Toma taking several steps back away from the Major. 

“Brother.”

Vegeta looked over to his younger brother. “What is it?”

“What will you do now?” Tarble asked, a knowing look on his face.

“I will be tactical. I will wait until I have another opening, and I will secure the win and my mate.” Vegeta said, smirking in his brother’s direction. 

“Vegeta, just tell her now, before she goes out with this other man.” Turles said. “Why even allow her the chance to fall for another man?”

Vegeta looked at Turles with stern eyes. “A woman that wild will never be tamed, so trying to make her choose me by force would never work. It has to be her choice, and I will just have to make myself an option.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bulma found her way to the beach, and had just laid out in the sun when she heard Cooler’s voice. 

“So when are you going to send in the Saiyans to come get me?” Cooler asked, sitting next to her with a drink in his hand. 

“What do you me-”

“I stuck around last night because things were too perfect. And I knew I had seen that man you were with before. That’s Prince Vegeta of Vegetasei. So what is it you lot want from me?” Cooler asked calmly sipping his drink. 

Bulma sighed, and before she could respond, her pager beeped furiously. The message was for her to keep talking to him until they could get to her location and be ready to capture Cooler should he decide he wanted to flee. 

“Okay, look. Let’s cut the shit. The Saiyans know you’re hiding from your brother and father. You fucked up, and you don’t want to be found by them. You have two options. You can help the Saiyans by working with them, or you can be their prisoner and be traded over back to your family.” She spoke sternly, fire in those blue eyes. 

Cooler smiled at her. An unexpected reaction to what she’d told him. “I’m certainly a bargaining man. I’d be happy to work out an agreement with the Saiyans.” Cooler said. “I assume they’re on the way here?” 

“They are.” Bulma said, taking off the device that allowed them to hear her conversation.

“We shall wait for them and relax, then.” Cooler said, leaning his head back onto the chair. 

“Wait… you said you saw me with Vegeta last night? I don’t remember that.”

“Ah, yes, you must not be very used to Titan alcohol. You were rather intoxicated and Vegeta carried you to your room, I assume. I only saw you two in the hot tub. I didn’t know the prince was such a carnal being.” Cooler chuckled. 

Bulma shook her head. “That’s the extent of it. Carnal.” She said forlornly. 

Cooler glanced at her. “Oh? Are you not happy with that arrangement?”

“I wanted more with him, but before I could tell him, he made it clear I’m nothing but stress relief to him.” Bulma said bitterly. 

Cooler hummed in understanding. “Well, I do hope you find someone who matches your interests.”

“I appreciate that. I’m sorry for pretending to be interested.” Bulma said honestly. 

Cooler shook his head. “My dear, I knew you weren’t. I could smell it, and I could smell the heat between you and Vegeta when you were dancing at the club. No need to worry about it.” 

The Saiyans were surrounding them not long after, and Vegeta walked over to Bulma. “You did well.” 

Bulma smiled up at him. He was wearing a black tank top that showcased his large biceps and hugged his torso tightly. His royal blue swim trunks looked nice against his tanned skin. “We’ll take it from here, I understand you have somewhere to be later.” 

Her heart hurt hearing him so casually mention her having a date with another man, and she forced a smile. “Thank you, Major.” 

The other saiyans all shifted uncomfortably until finally all heading off to escort Cooler to the ship. Vegeta lingered back. “Be safe tonight.” 

Bulma blushed as she looked at him. “I will, thank you.” 

“And call for me if you need help.” Vegeta said. 

“I will.” Bulma searched his eyes, trying to find something. Some sort of feelings. But she couldn’t see past his clouded dark eyes. The windows to his soul were blocked with insecurity and jealousy. He turned and walked after his squad. Bulma wanted to run off after him, but she was distracted by a large wave. It was glittering in a beautiful clear blue, and riding that wave was the self proclaimed punk rock alien, Z himself. 

He seemed so relaxed, while the other surfers' stances were so strained, he rode the wave effortlessly. Bulma waited until he had paddled back to shore, and she cleared her throat. 

“Ahem! Excuse me! Are there any staff members around? I require assistance!” 

Z saw her and smiled big, walking over to her and bowing respectfully. “Yes ma’am, how may I be of service?” 

Bulma giggled. “Well you see I’m rather lonely and I have no one to sit with. She gestured to the chair next to her that was now empty. “This cabana is wonderful but I wish not to be alone.” She said, a serious expression. 

Z nodded. “Ah yes, that is quite undesirable. My apologies madam, might I offer my humble presence?” 

Bulma drummed her fingers against her chin. “Hm. I suppose that might be nice.” 

Z laughed. “Alright, well I’ll be right back.” He trotted off to put his board away and quickly returned with drinks. He handed Bulma a blue drink that matched the color of her hair which was garnished with a beautiful blue flower. She grinned from ear to ear, smelling the drink. 

“It smells delicious.” Bulma swooned, taking a sip. 

“It’s made with strawberries and blueberries. They’re earth fruits.” Z said, taking the strawberry garnishing his glass and eating it.

“I’m from Earth, so I’m very familiar with those fruits.” Bulma said, grinning widely. 

“An Earthing? Wow, that’s so cool. I’ve never actually met one before.” Z’s eyes widened in wonder.

Bulma chuckled. “You’re not missing out on much, I suppose you could say compared to other species out here, humans are rather primitive when it comes to most things. Our mating customs are even pretty different from most other species and races I have met.” Bulma explained, taking another sip from her drink. There was definitely alcohol in this drink, and after last night, she was going to take it nice and slow with Titan alcohol. 

“Different how?” Z asked. 

“Most of our mating rituals are either vastly more involved, or considered ‘less ceremonial’ than most others. There’s not really any middle ground. See, from what I’ve learned, most species have a set manner in which they obtain a partner, or mate. Humans kind of...all do it differently. Some of us will be physically intimate upon a first meeting for the sole purpose of pleasure, and then never speak to one another again, while others may never even let the other person kiss them until the time they’re married.” 

“Sounds to me like humans are rather complex. Your race doesn’t have a very solidified way of mating, and the rules seem to be dependent on the person.” Z pondered. 

“That’s correct. Humans are all vastly different in the way they think and behave. It’s interesting to me to see how different things are between species.” She added. “So, if I may ask, what species are you?”

Z chuckled. “I’m from a planet called Ailra. Often confused for planet Arlia, but our species look completely different. Arlia is affectionately referred to as the ‘bug planet’ by many, being that the inhabitants all look like giant insects. Those from my planet are all bipedal, all have colorful hair, and we have fangs for hunting. Obviously we’ve advanced in civilization and how we obtain food, but from time to time, hunting for food is done as a means to control our ‘other halves’.” 

“Other halves?” Bulma echoed. 

“Yes, see, biologically speaking, my people are related to canines, though we do not share any physical traits with them other than fangs. And before you ask, no, we aren’t what your people refer to as ‘werewolves’. We simply have a wild side that mimics the hunting instincts of a canine. We are often employed as hunters to settle bounties. So for example, if you had hired me to find this man who stole equipment from you, I’d easily be able to find him.” Z said, flashing those canines of his. “Oh, and our canines do have glands right behind them that inject venom, but it’s not lethal. Simply a paralytic that keeps our prey from feeling pain when we subdue them. They lose the ability to struggle and fall asleep so they don’t feel pain.” 

“That’s really interesting!” Bulma said, finding it fascinating to see a being so physically similar to humans just as the Saiyan race, but having such a large difference in nature and genetics. “So, if you come from a hunter species, what made you decide to run a hotel of all things?” Bulma asked. 

“When you’re hiding from someone, wouldn’t you want somewhere nice to stay?” Z asked. 

Bulma’s eyes widened. “You did all of this… just to catch people?”

Z nodded. “Indeed. It makes things easier than scouring the galaxies for someone. This place almost inevitably attracts people who want to hide, and then I’m able to capture them.” 

“That’s quite clever.” Bulma said, thinking over the whole thing. 

“But, also, I really do enjoy having a place for people to kick back and relax.” Z added.

“I like that a lot.” Bulma said, smiling at him. 

“I should also mention…”

“What is it?” Bulma asked, scooting a bit closer to him. 

“I know when people are lying to me. I can sense it. I won’t ask you what you’re really doing here, because frankly it’s none of my business, but I will ask you again. What is the nature of your relationship with the man with the hair in the shape of a flame?” Z rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, not wanting to pry. “I only ask because I don’t want to be the guy breaking up a relationship or anything.”

Bulma’s face turned a little red, but she decided to answer his question. “We’ve been intimate with each other, but there isn’t anything  _ romantic _ between us. I had wanted things to go that direction, but he’d made it clear that there was no chance for that, so I’ve stepped away from the whole thing and just decided I’d better move on.”

Z smiled, gently taking Bulma’s hand. “Well that’s a relief, then. You’re very interesting, Bulma. I’d like to continue getting to know you. How long are you here for?”

Bulma realized they’d probably be leaving soon, and they were from a rather far off place. “Truthfully, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. I might leave as soon as tonight. I have no clue. And unfortunately I’m not living anywhere close by, so there’s not much chance we’d see each other again.” 

“Well, it might make me a fool to say so, but I’d travel any distance to speak with you, Bulma. You’re unlike any woman I’ve met, and I would hope you wouldn’t mind seeing more of me.” Z said softly, his green eyes looking into hers. 

Bulma leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’d like that very much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrestled with this idea for a while, and decided to just go for it! Instead of the classic "Ima steal yo girl" troupe, I decided to take a different direction. Bulma will be figuring out her true feelings, Vegeta will need to get better at expressing his own (while still staying true to himself, of course), and Zachariah...well... You'll see. ;)


	10. She’s Mine, Asshole!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma finds herself in the middle of something pretty damn creepy! What will happen? Read to find out! 😁😁😁

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like for someone who is so very in love with Vegeta and all his transformations, namely Super Saiyan Blue or Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, I sure don’t write about him transforming enough— nor do I write about him in battle when I love to watch and read him fighting! So, here’s a fight scene. Expect some more because the battles for Vegeta aren’t over yet!

Bulma and Z talked until the daylight had long since left the sky. 

“I guess our date should wait for another time, huh? It’s rather late.” Z said chuckling at how they’d lost track of time. 

“That sounds good to me. I have a bit of a sunburn, do I need to go treat it.” Bulma said, laughing while trying not to cringe at the pain from the burn. 

“Oh, uh, well I’m a healer as well, if you need help.” Z said. 

Bulma sighed. “Do what you need, anything to make this pain stop.” 

Z moved to her lounge chair and sat close to her. “Looks like the burn is mainly on your shoulders. Okay, take a deep breath, it’ll hurt for a second.” 

Bulma took in a deep breath and almost screamed when his hands touched her sunburned skin. His eyes started glowing green, he opened his mouth and a green aura flowed from his mouth, and he started to radiate a green energy that spread to his hands and spilled onto Bulma’s skin, and sunk in quickly. As quickly as the pain had been aggravated, it was gone. Bulma sighed in relief. He let go of her shoulders and stood up, offering his hand to help her up. “Does that feel better?” He asked. 

“I feel much better, thank you, Z.” Bulma said, taking his hand and standing up. They were face to face, and they both turned a light shade of pink when they locked eyes. 

“Uh, ahem, well I’ll walk you to your room, if you’d like.” Z said awkwardly. 

“Yes! That would be nice.” Bulma said nervously. 

The pair walked in silence in the comfortable warmth of the evening. Bulma fought the urge to squeal when she felt his hand softly take hers and lace his fingers through hers. She responded by softly squeezing his hand, and they walked holding hands. 

Once they’d made it to Bulma’s room, Z let go of Bulma’s hand. “I had a great time talking to you today, Bulma. If you are leaving tonight or tomorrow, do let me know. Here, um…” he patted his pockets for a pen and paper when Bulma rummaged through her beach bag before handing him her phone. 

“Put in your number and I’ll send you a text either way.” She smiled. 

Z took the phone, letting his fingers brush hers. He inputted his number, and handed her phone back to her. “Okay, cool. I’ll see you later, then. Goodnight, Bulma.” 

“Goodnight, Z.” Bulma fidgeted with her bag before leaning in and softly kissing him in the lips. 

He melted into the kiss, into her. When she pulled away, he let go of her, and they went their separate ways. 

Bulma stepped into her hotel room to find Vegeta standing closer than she knew him to stand next to anyone. “What?” She asked. 

“Go shower. I can smell him.” Vegeta snarled. 

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Bulma did as he had asked, and when she came back, she found herself at a loss for what she saw. Not only was vegeta only in boxers, he was perched on the side of the bed she slept on. 

“Did you want to sleep on the right side tonight, Vegeta?” She asked. 

“No. Come here.” He said, his voice soft. 

She walked over to him, eyeing him suspiciously. “What is it?”

He didn’t say anything at first, simply looking into her eyes and taking her hands in his. His touch was gentle. Tender. He touched his thumbs to hers, and then to each of her fingers on each hand, as if counting to make sure they were all there. Bulma frowned a little, confused at his actions. 

“What are you doing?” Bulma asked. 

“Committing you to my memory.” Vegeta answered. 

“What the hell?” Bulma yanked her hands away from him. “I’m not dying! What’s wrong with you?”

Vegeta rolled his eyes. “It’s something Saiyans do when someone is special. So for instance, if a Saiyan man was going into battle and there was a chance he may never return, his last thoughts would be of the person, or people, that he wishes to be his last thought.” 

Bulma couldn’t formulate a proper response in her mind. “Vegeta…” She sat in his lap and hugged him, her legs wrapped around him as well. 

For the first time, Vegeta wrapped his arms around her in return without kissing her. Bulma didn’t know if that was a good thing, or a bad thing, but the embrace felt safe and comfortable. When Vegeta started to let go, Bulma squeezed tighter. “Don’t… let go.” Bulma whispered. 

“Okay. I won’t let go.” Vegeta buried his face in her neck. 

They sat like that for a long time until Vegeta realized Bulma had fallen asleep in his arms. He slowly scooted back so he could just lay back on the bed and roll on his side to make them both comfortable without disturbing her. Vegeta quickly succumbed to sleep as Bulma’s steady breaths calmed him. 

The next morning, Bulma woke and found herself still wrapped in Vegeta’s arms, his chin resting on her head. 

“Vegeta?” She whispered. 

“What is it, woman?” He asked. It startled her, but he was wide awake.

“Are you hungry?” Bulma asked. 

His stomach growled, as if outraged at such a question. “No.”

Bulma chuckled. “Let’s go eat.”

“No.”

“Vegeta we can’t just be like this forever, hell we shouldn’t have even slept like this.” Bulma said, pulling herself away from him.

“You asked me not to let go.”

“And when have you ever actually listened to what I said just because I asked?” Bulma shot back, looking at him with her arms crossed.

He said nothing. 

“That’s what I thought.” Bulma said. “By the way, are we leaving today?” She asked, climbing into her side of the bed.

“Why are you asking?” Vegeta blurted out, his tone dripping in defensiveness. 

“So I know whether or not I’ll get to see more of Zachariah or not, duh.” Bulma rolled her eyes. 

“Go see him, I don’t care. We aren’t required back for a while, so you have plenty of time. It’s unusual that w-” Vegeta’s eyes widened before he could finish speaking, and he suddenly leapt out of bed.

Bulma put her hands on her hips. “I don’t need permission to go see him. We’re getting to know each other and we have interest in each other.” Bulma huffed.

“You’re right, yes, go be with him. I have some work to do, and we may be here longer than we planned.” Vegeta said, throwing a shirt on and quickly grabbing a pair of gym shorts. He grabbed his scouter, smashed it onto his ear, and immediately began calling for Raditz. 

“Raditz? Raditz! Answer your damn scouter, fool!”

Bulma was confused, and worried when she saw Vegeta seemingly freak out. She’d never seen him panic before.

“Raditz!” Vegeta yelled in a voice that made Bulma cower in fear. 

“Sorry, Major!” Raditz finally answered, “We need you to come to the ship right away— you’re going to want to hear what Cooler just told us.” Raditz said in an equally panicked voice. 

“Vegeta? What’s going on?” Bulma asked, growing increasingly concerned by his display of worry. 

“Nothing of your concern, you go enjoy the beach or something, we just have work to do.” Vegeta headed for the door when he felt Bulma’s hand grab his wrist. He looked at her. “What is it?” He asked. 

Bulma stayed quiet for a moment. “Just be safe with whatever it is. All of you.” 

“We will.” Vegeta said, with a reassuring nod. He was gone and out of the building in no time flat, leaving Bulma to wonder if she should’ve gone with him wherever it was he was going. 

She took a deep breath and decided to trust the Saiyans. If it was a really big deal, they’d include her. But she wasn’t a warrior, so there really wasn’t any need they’d really involve her. She nodded to herself. She walked over to where she’d left her phone and sent Zachariah a text. 

“Hey! Looks like I’ll be here for a while. Wanna hang out?” 

It wasn’t long before her phone pinged with a response. As she picked it up, she realized how lucky she was to have been issued a phone by the Saiyan army that had such fantastic range. Granted, the Saiyan ships had “cell towers” on them that allowed them to maintain service wherever they went, but it was still impressive. She looked at the screen and smiled. 

“Of course I do, Bulma! When and where should I meet you?” 

She texted back quickly, finding herself somewhat excited. 

The response came as quickly as she’d sent one. 

“Alright, I’ll see you then.” 

About three hours later, Bulma was making her way down to the pool wearing a flirty pink one piece swimsuit with high cut leg holes to show off her hips. It was one thing she always liked in a swimsuit— to show off her hips. As she stepped outside, she saw Z talking on a phone, and he seemed rather heated. She’d never seen any sort of negative emotion being expressed from him, but he looked very angry, and scary, if Bulma was being honest. His upper lip was curled upward in a snarl that showed his glistening canines. He looked vicious until his eyes met with hers, and he almost instantly hung up. He trotted over to Bulma. “Hey, I’m so sorry you had to see or hear that. One of the employees was incredibly rude to a customer and I had to fire him. He’s been causing issues for a while, and obviously I can’t allow anyone to bring the hotel name down with bad behavior.” He offered an apologetic smile. 

“I understand, don’t worry. You do look terrifying when you’re angry, though.” Bulma laughed nervously. 

Z’s eyes widened. “Oh no! Bulma I’m so sorry, I hope I haven’t scared you at all. The last thing I’d want is for you to be afraid of me.” 

Bulma raised an eyebrow mischievously, smirking at him. 

“Bulma?” Z asked, confused. 

She leaned in and kissed him before pulling back to see him in total shock. “There. Now we’ve both been sho-“ her voice was caught off when he pressed his lips to hers. There was a small spark between them, and it grew stronger when Z softly cupped her face with one hand before pulling away from the kiss. 

They smiled at each other, both blushing. 

“So are we gonna swim or what?” Bulma asked. 

“Yeah, that was the plan and I guess we should.” Z said, still staring into her eyes. 

Bulma giggles and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the side of the pool. “Let’s jump in together!”

Z smirked before picking Bulma up and jumping in. 

She screamed when he jumped, but they both came back to the surface of the water smiling and laughing. 

Z was easy to be around, and he had a playful nature like Bulma did. Vegeta had been correct… maybe what she had been looking for  _ would _ be on Titan. 

Two weeks went by, and Bulma hadn’t been able to get in touch with Vegeta, but her phone still worked, so she knew the ship was still on Titan. She hoped she’d see him again soon, just to know he and the others were okay. On the first morning of the third week, Bulma Briefs woke up and screamed. 

Z leapt out of the bed from being startled by Bulma’s scream. “Bulma! What’s wrong?” 

Bulma stood up, clutching the front of her shirt. “I had this awful dream that Vegeta and the rest of the squad had left me here!” 

Z got back into the bed. “Being here would be that bad for you?” 

Bulma realized how it sounded and immediately climbed into bed. “No, no, no. It would only be bad because they’re my friends, and because I wouldn’t have a way to visit my home, nor go back to my job.” 

“Ah, I see. Well, if that ever did happen, which I hope not, I hope I’m able to make you feel at home.”

Bulma looked at him, her eyes glittering in playfulness. “Oh yeah? And how would you do that?” 

Z smirked. “I have my ways, Bulma.”

Bulma rolled over until she was straddling Z, pinning his wrists to the bed while she peppered kisses on his jaw and neck. 

Z suddenly showed off his strength and flipped them over, pinning Bulma down this time. She squealed and giggled, causing Z to laugh. 

Bulma’s face suddenly looked serious. Determined. 

Z raised an eyebrow. “Bulma? Are you okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?” He loosened his grip on her wrists, afraid he was causing her pain. 

“I think I’m ready now, Z.” She said, her cheeks tinged pink. 

Z’s entire face turned red. They hadn’t had sex, Z had respectfully honored Bulma’s request to wait. 

“A-are you sure, Bulma?” Z asked. 

Bulma nodded. She slid one wrist out from under his hand and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned his head with her hand before leaning down and kissing her in a different way than they’d kissed before. This time was needy. Aggressive, but not too much. 

Z squeezed her wrist, and Bulma let out a small sound, but he kept going. He started to kiss down her jaw and down her neck, grazing his teeth across her skin, intoxicated by her smell. “Bulma…” he moaned into her skin when she wrapped her legs around him. 

Z reached down and ripped her top open, revealing her breasts. When he looked down into Bulma’s eyes, she saw something flash in his. He slid his hand up to her throat and started to squeeze, and Bulma grabbed his wrist, unsure. 

The door to the room busted in, and both of them gasped and yelled in shock. 

“Get the fuck away from her.” 

They both turned and saw Raditz walking toward them, Nappa, Tarble, Toma and Turles stomping in after him, causing the floor to shake. 

Vegeta walked in last, and he teleported next to Bulma, ripping her away from the black and green haired man. 

“Guys! What’s going on?” Bulma yelled. 

Raditz was shaking from head to toe with rage. The other Saiyans were glaring with hatred at Z, and when Bulma looked to Vegeta, he was the only calm one. 

“Bulma, this man works for the Icejin.” He said calmly. 

She looked at Z in horror. 

Z crossed his arms and took a defensive stance. “I was trying to capture Cooler and turn him in to his very angry family. The reward money would be used for my hotel that is otherwise a safe place. What’s the issue here?” 

“The issue is that’s only part of the truth. I suggest that you tell the woman before I do.” Vegeta said his arms crossed over his chest. 

Z gritted his teeth and looked over at Bulma who stared at him, waiting for the answer. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, it was only at first that I was doing this, Bulma. It was never supposed to be like this, I swear Bulma I-“

“Never supposed to be like what? What have you been doing?” Bulma asked, her hands starting to shake. 

Z looked away. 

“He’s been hunting you, Bulma.” Vegeta said, the pure rage in his voice suddenly noticeable. Bulma had never heard Vegeta like this, but she knew it was bad. “He has been hunting  _ my _ woman.  _ My  _ destined queen. He will  _ die _ .” Vegeta said, his voice getting louder and louder. 

Bulma shoved herself away from him. “ _ Your _ woman?! Listen, he wasn’t ‘hunting’ me! It was just kinky sex!” Bulma crossed her arms, embarrassed and thoroughly annoyed. 

“Bulma...I...really  _ was _ hunting you at one point.” Z said softly. 

Bulma’s eyes widened in disgust. “Y-you…”

Vegeta took off his chest plate armor and lowered it over Bulma’s head to cover her exposed breasts that she struggled to stuff back into her shirt. “I can’t believe you’d let this sick fuck bed you. He doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.” He crossed his arms. 

“You’re not exactly innocent! You  _ pushed me away _ and  _ into the arms of a man who was hunting me _ !” Bulma looked at Z, her eyes overflowing with angry tears, her eyes suddenly red with rage. “And  _ you _ ! What was your  _ plan _ ? Huh?” 

Z ran his fingers through his hair again. “Bulma you… you were my prey.” 

“ _ You were going to eat me? _ ” Bulma shrieked. 

Z’s eyes widened. “What!? No! Just…” 

“He was going to kill you for sport, Bulma.” Raditz said. “Hunting is a pastime for his species. They kill for sport.” 

“ _ WHAT?”  _ Bulma’s voice made all the men cringe from the tone. “Get out. Everyone but Z, get out. I have some things to say.” Bulma said, but no one budged until she sucked in an enormous amount of air and yelled at the top of her lungs. “OUT. NOW!!!” 

The Saiyan men all hurried out of the room except for Vegeta. “Bulma, I am not leaving you in here with this predator now that he’s been exposed.” 

Bulma rolled her eyes. “Whatever, you’re next.” She grabbed Z and dragged him into the bathroom and closed the door. 

“Bulma! Open the door, or I’ll break it down.” Vegeta yelled. 

“You can break it down if I start getting attacked. Now go sit on the bed and shut up.” Bulma yelled angrily. She looked at Z who tried to reach out and touch her. She pulled away. “How could you?” 

Z grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. “Bulma like I said, when we first met, you were my prey. And instinctually, I couldn’t help it. But then we spent time together and I actually  _ fell _ for you.”

She pushed him away. “Why would you ever  _ want _ to kill me? What the hell did I do to you?” 

Z shook his head. “It’s an  _ instinct _ thing, Bulma. My dna was screaming to me that you’re  _ interesting _ and would make a worthy prize. To say I captured and hunted such an intelligent being? That’s what drew me in. But then I couldn’t get over your beauty. Your personality. Your smile. All of it. And the instinctual feeling turned into something else. You weren’t my prey anymore, you were just…  _ mine _ .” 

Bulma looked at him with suspicion. Z stepped closer. 

“Bulma.” She didn’t move, and he moved closer still, until he was a breath away. “Bulma.” 

She said nothing, but right before he could kiss her, she pushed him away. “No. I am not  _ property _ . This is over.” She turned and opened the door, and walked out. “You hurt me, Z, and that’s it. Get out.” 

He ran his hand down his face as he left the hotel room without another word. 

She looked at Vegeta angrily. “You.”

Vegeta looked at her, the ever present stoic expression on his face softening slightly. 

“You push me away, say horribly cold things to me, then dance with me like you want me, then you abandon me and leave me with a man who was planning to kill me?” Bulma was walking toward him while she yelled until she was standing right in front of him. He was seated at the foot of the bed. 

“ ** _Bulma_ ** _ . _ ” 

She jumped, and suddenly she remembered something. Something from the night she got into the hot tub by herself. Vegeta had been there. Kissing her but then he stopped?

“Bulma, are you listening to me?” Vegeta asked sternly. 

“You were there that night.” She said, her eyes wide. “You were in the hot tub with me.” 

Vegeta suddenly looked panicked. “No, I-“

“You were kissing me and holding me. But then you pulled away and you just? You carried me to my room. What were you saying?” 

“Nothing important, Bulma.” The prince avoided her eyes. 

She grabbed his face and made him look at her. “What were you s-“

“It has never been a matter of whether or not I want you. I want you more than I have ever wanted anything. You are the galaxy’s sharpest woman. The fiercest woman I have ever met. You have no fear of the things you should. You tower over those who could kill you in an instant with just your attitude alone. It’s only fair that you’re human, lest we all be doomed.” He quoted himself. Bulma’s mouth gaped, and as she was about to say something, Vegeta cut her off and continued as he stood. 

“You’re far too mighty of a being as you are, and it frightens me. It frightens me that I, Prince Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans, find myself tempted to bend at the knees for you. You have taken everything in my life and flipped it upside down, you blasted woman. I find myself completely thrown off balance by you because you are a force of nature. The gods of Vegetasei could never have prepared me for what was to come when you came into my view.” He took a step forward, causing her to step back. 

“Vege-“ Bulma tried to speak again. 

“There exists not a single being, nor entity, nor object in this universe that is drawn to anything as strongly as I am to you. Do not ever dare say that I don’t want you, woman. I have wanted you before I knew you existed. Before I knew I  _ could _ ever want another being.” Vegeta continued walking Bulma backward until her back touched the wall. 

“Bulma you may not be mine, but I am undoubtedly yours. For all eternity, Bulma, my soul belongs to you. My being is yours. For whatever you wish. Whether you want  _ me _ , or not.” Vegeta said, his face close to hers as jealousy danced in his eyes. “Now, it’s time to pack your things so we may leave. I will sit on the bed to ensure Zachariah does not try anything while you pack your things. And then we will go home.” Without another word, Vegeta went to sit down on the bed, and closed his eyes. 

Bulma, completely in shock from what he said, walked around aimlessly trying to organize her thoughts enough to pack. 

It took her about two hours to pack, but Vegeta waited patiently and never said a word. 

Bulma extended a shaky hand to get Vegeta’s attention, but he stood up and walked over to the door, holding it open for her. She said nothing, but walked out the door. She gasped when she saw all the Saiyan men standing in a line, waiting to walk with her. They walked in a circle around Bulma. Zachariah was one of the galaxies most dangerous predators, from what they’d found in their research, and he’d never been deprived of a kill. The Saiyans worried what might happen while they tried to get Bulma out of there now that he’d been thwarted. As they reached the hotel lobby, Zachariah sat on a lobby couch with another woman, also with blue hair, perched on his lap. He grinned evilly and winked at Bulma, and something in her snapped. She threw her things to the ground and darted in between Nappa and Turles before they could grab her and stop her. Bulma ripped the blue haired woman away from Zachariah and slapped him with all her might. His face jerked to the left as she hit him, and he chuckled. He grabbed her and she gasped at how devastatingly strong his grip was. 

“Alright, gentlemen. Being that you’ve taken my chance to secure a perfect mate and/or subdue the perfect prey, I will be taking that chance back by force. I’m sure you’ve done your research and have found there are three types of venom in an Ailrain body. A paralytic, a poison, and a psychic venom. Once I bite Bulma, she won’t care about any of you anymore. She’ll only be worried about  _ me _ . Now, if you try to stop me, I’ll have to use the poisonous venom, and it’ll definitely kill her.” Zachariach’s pupils were dilated as he moved her hair to the side and licked her neck. 

Vegeta had seen this before, and knew these were Zachariah’s hunting instincts taking charge. He wasn’t controlling himself, his instincts were. The only way this would really end was to kill Zachariah. The venom that he’d use to manipulate Bulma’s thoughts and feelings was not a permanently acting venom. He’d have to bite her repeatedly. This meant if Vegeta could get her away from him long enough, she’d be back to herself once the venom wore off. Veget spoke to his team telepathically while Zachariah continued to graze her skin softly with his mouth. 

Bulma struggled and screamed, looking to Vegeta. 

Suddenly, nothing else mattered. Not his plan. Not his logic. Only Bulma. 

“Vegeta!” She screamed. 

The ground started the shake and Vegeta’s squad all scattered away from him. The windows of the hotel started to shatter, and Vegeta started to scream.

Zachariah’s grip on Bulma was impossibly tight, and then she felt his teeth in her shoulder. The paralytic hit her like a ton of bricks and her body went limp. She fell to the floor and Zachariah also powered up. His eyes and the green highlights in his hair started to glow.

Vegeta’s hair turned blonde and he glared at Zachariah. “You’re done.” He sneered. 

Zachariah shot over toward Vegeta, hitting him square in the jaw. Vegeta chuckled before punching Zachariah through several layers of the ground.

“Galick gun!” Vegeta shot purple ki from his palm and it hit Zachariah who screamed until he released his own stream of green ki until it pushed Vegeta back. 

Vegeta grit his teeth and threw hundreds of yellow orbs of ki in Zachariah’s direction, just trying to hit him several times, but the green eyed hunter was fast, and dodged every single one. There was smoke and dust and dirt covering him, and Vegeta couldn’t see him. 

When Zachariah came out, his whole body had a green aura around it and he threw several punches at Vegeta, kneed him in the stomach, and then used both fists to slam Vegeta into the ground. 

Vegeta pulled himself up, and grinned at Zachariah, causing the hunter to lose his triumphant smirk. Vegeta screamed again, and powered up to Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan. His hair was blue, his eyes were blue, his aura was blue and shimmering. “Zachariah, I’d bow down if I were you.” 

Zachariah laughed. “And why would I do that?” 

Vegeta chuckled, showing his teeth, and his own sharp canines. “You’re in the presence of a god.” He teleported behind Zachariah, slammed him down to the ground. “You’ve made a grave mistake, taking someone precious to me, and trying to keep her forever. A terrible lapse in judgement, really. Whether she wants me or not, you sick fuck, I’ll be damned if I’ll ever let you have her. And you will keep,” He landed on the ground hard, causing it to shake beneath his feet. Zachariah was struggling to pulling himself up. “...your filthy fucking hands...” he teleported forward to Zachariah who was now standing on his feet. “...OFF. MY. BULMA.”

He roundhouse kicked the hunter to the ground and slammed his foot on Zachariah’s back, pinning him down. “Zachariah of Ailra, you are hereby relieved of your life for putting what’s precious to me in danger. Sleep tight, Zachariah.” He slammed his foot down and snapped Zachariah’s spine in half. 

Once he was sure the hunter was dead, he sent his squad to ready the ship. Vegeta quickly made his way over to Bulma. The paralytic was starting to wear off, but she was very weak. Vegeta picked her up and carried her to the ship. 

Once the whole squad was back on the ship, they took off and Bulma slept in her room. Vegeta sat on the floor outside of her room. He couldn’t seem to rid himself of the tight sensation in his chest. Not knowing if Bulma was alright was taking a toll on him, and he finally threw caution to the wind and went into her bedroom. She was awake, to his surprise. Apparently, his anxiety had clouded his ability to read her ki. 

He didn’t know what to say, so he stood awkwardly in the doorway of her bedroom. “Do you have everything you require to be comfortable?” He asked awkwardly. 

“Yeah, I think I’m going to get some water.” Bulma said, sliding off her bed and walking slowly to the doorway. She started to sway back and forth and nearly collapsed again, but the anxious Prince caught her and helped her stand. 

“Perhaps I could get it for y-”

“I’m fine.”

Vegeta scoffed. “Okay, woman.”

Bulma glared at him before shoving him away and stumbling forward. Again, before she could hit the floor, Vegeta caught her. “At least let me help you get the water.” 

“Suit yourself.” Bulma snorted.

Once they finally made it to the kitchen, Bulma drank water until her belly hurt from drinking so much. 

Tarble walked into the kitchen and smiled warmly at Bulma. “Hello, Bulma. How are you feeling? We’ve all been sick with worry.” 

“I’m still so weak but I’m feeling okay otherwise. I’m sorry to worry you all.” Bulma smiles apologetically. 

“No need to apologize. You’re part of our squad, Bulma.” 

“Indeed, Miss Briefs, even the prince himself has been reduced to a nervous wreck while you have been bed ridden.” A familiarly deep voice said. Bulma turned to see Cooler. 

She snorted. “Serves him right.” 

Vegeta gently scooped her up. “You must rest again.” 

“I’m not ready to go back to bed, I just got up!” She grouched. 

“ _ You need your fucking rest. Shut your mouth and just comply. _ ” Vegeta spoke with a warning tone. 

Bulma grit her teeth at him but said nothing more to argue with him. 

Once they’d made it back to Bulma’s room, Vegeta put her in her bed and turned to leave the room. 

“And where the fuck are you going?” Bulma spat, her arms crossed angrily over her chest. 

Vegeta looked back at her, confused. “You don't want me to leave?” 

“Don’t you think we should talk about everything you said about me being the only being you could ever love and stuff?” She tilted her head as she furrowed her brows. 

Vegeta shook his head. “I think I was pretty clear on everything, Bulma. I don’t think there’s anything more to say on the topic. You know how I feel. Whether you accept me or not is your issue to sort through, and the decision on where we go from here is completely up to you.”

“You abandoned me.” Bulma whispered, tears forming in her big blue eyes. The way her voice broke between words was wreaking havoc on Vegeta internally until his brain and mouth were no longer on the same team. 

“Bulma I pushed you away to keep us both safe! I am a warrior. I will leave you many times to do my job and I am never guaranteed to come home despite my high rank and perfect fighting record. There is always a chance of death. Then what? You’re to be left alone? How could I do that to you?  ** _How?_ ** ” He was sitting on the bed next to her now, his hands gripping her arms tightly. 

“I don’t care, asshole. I don’t care how long you’re gone. Because I know you’ll want to come back to  _ me _ .” She argued, tears in her eyes. 

“I don’t  _ want _ to want to come home to you!” Vegeta yelled angrily. 

Bulma’s tears overflowed onto her cheeks. “You...don’t?”

“If I desire that, it can be taken away from me and that? That would destroy me worse than any war injury ever could. I will not claim you as my own to lose you.” Vegeta frowned fiercely. 

Bulma shook her head. “I don’t know what to do. You broke my trust, Vegeta.  


Vegeta looked down in shame, before looking up to meet her eyes again. “Woman, I can’t fix or change what has already been done. But I can and will do everything I can to get your trust back.” 


End file.
